Have Mercy
SCRIPTURE
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. —Psalm 51:1
We are not quick mercy givers in the United States. Our courts aren't known for giving mercy, and our corporate and political systems distribute even less. Instead, power rules. The more power, the better, and mercy is locked out.
I have learned that the prayer that frees God to do his best work in my life is a prayer for mercy. Requesting God's mercy says we do not understand enough to know what we should ask. Or we recognize how deep our need is and know that only what God chooses will address it. I learned this lesson best as I prayed for our daughter, who lived with complicated and disabling physical and learning issues.
More than once I cried, "Have mercy on us!" I learned that what God brought when I prayed for mercy answered a need I didn't recognize. God's mercy met my deepest need instead of answering a surface issue that didn't go deep enough.As we present our hearts to God, let's ask for his mercy. Nothing clears the way for us to hear from God more than confessing our need for him and what he chooses for us. His mercy connects us to his unfailing love. Knowing how much we are loved, our hearts burn with a new fire to return his love as obedience, which is always the best response to God's mercy.
BURNING QUESTIONS
1. Who has hurt me, and whom have I hurt?
2. Where do I need mercy, and with whom should I share mercy?
AFFIRMATION
God is closer than my heartbeat and always ready to share his mercy.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Merciful Lord, have mercy on me when I am overwhelmed, helpless, or have not received mercy from others.
SCRIPTURE
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. —Psalm 51:1
We are not quick mercy givers in the United States. Our courts aren't known for giving mercy, and our corporate and political systems distribute even less. Instead, power rules. The more power, the better, and mercy is locked out.
I have learned that the prayer that frees God to do his best work in my life is a prayer for mercy. Requesting God's mercy says we do not understand enough to know what we should ask. Or we recognize how deep our need is and know that only what God chooses will address it. I learned this lesson best as I prayed for our daughter, who lived with complicated and disabling physical and learning issues.
More than once I cried, "Have mercy on us!" I learned that what God brought when I prayed for mercy answered a need I didn't recognize. God's mercy met my deepest need instead of answering a surface issue that didn't go deep enough.As we present our hearts to God, let's ask for his mercy. Nothing clears the way for us to hear from God more than confessing our need for him and what he chooses for us. His mercy connects us to his unfailing love. Knowing how much we are loved, our hearts burn with a new fire to return his love as obedience, which is always the best response to God's mercy.
BURNING QUESTIONS
1. Who has hurt me, and whom have I hurt?
2. Where do I need mercy, and with whom should I share mercy?
AFFIRMATION
God is closer than my heartbeat and always ready to share his mercy.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Merciful Lord, have mercy on me when I am overwhelmed, helpless, or have not received mercy from others.
Posted in Lent