God's mercy and love

Well, I have been told that blogging is just sharing what's on your mind and here for me what's on my heart. Today I was reading through past journal entries and came across something I wrote after having read in Jeremiah (an Old Testament book).
Just some back story here. Jeremiah, at a young age, is asked by God to be His prophet to Israel and Judah. The people have for years rejected Him, worshipped many idols, sacrificed their children to these idols, killed prophets that have tried to speak the words of God to them. Time and time again the children of God have rejected God and His messges to them. Now it is time for punishment/discipline for the wayward children but before this is doled out on them, God pleads with them to turn away from their sin through Jeremiah.

Journal entry 3/4/10
Jeremiah 3:7 "And I thought (says the Lord), 'After she (Israel) has done all this, she will return to Me...'"
Jeremiah 3: 12-14 "...return faithless Israel...for I am merciful...I am your husband and I have chosen you..."
Jeremiah 4:18 "Your ways and your deeds have brought this upon you. This is your doom and it is bitter; it has reached your very heart."
Jeremiah 5:18 "'But even in those days,' declares the Lord, 'I will not make a full end of you.'"



There is hope here, not rejection! God is hoping that once Israel is done with her sinful ways, she will come to her senses and come back to Him! Amazing! He isn't seeking revenge in this passage or punishment but He is sharing the hope of His heart - that His wayward children would turn back to Him and come "home".
Even as He is describing the impending judgement, after being refused and blatantly disobeyed; God is MERCIFUL! (Jer 5:18)

Notice too, that He is not merciful because anyone (at least not mentioned in this particular part of Jeremiah) prayed for it. He is merciful because this is His character. Some would say "God is ______" (here merciful) because someone prayed this character trait out of Him or changed His wrath/anger into mercy. NO! God is merciful because this is who He is.

The hope I found for myself in these verses is that God has not changed. His mercy is not just for Israel or Judah but for us all. Even as I sin over and over again and ignore Christ and His attempts to seek relationship with me, there is mercy for me! He will not abandon me or stop loving me. And when discipline/judgement comes my way there will still be mercy and love during that time and especially afterwards when I come to my senses. Friends, do you find hope for yourself here? Is there a time in your life when you came face to face with the hope and love of Jesus even when you were rejecting Him?