In one of the first sermons I ever preached, over twenty years ago, I told the true story of a couple that had been shattered by the wanton slaying of their daughter by a young man.

Reeling in pain and anguish, they struggled with how they could possibly go on with their lives. Existence had become a dark abyss. Their loss engendered a profound and permeating emptiness.

But in that darkness they remembered Jesus. Out of their hell, they heard the voice of heaven. They reached out to their daughter’s murderer. Their powerful witness of God’s love caused the young man to seek forgiveness.

By God’s amazing grace, the family began a relationship with the imprisoned man that revealed in new ways what Jesus had promised long ago.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."