LORD HAVE MERCY

LORD, HAVE MERCY!

Ps 123

123 Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.

2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.

3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

4 Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.

           This Psalm addresses the cruel treatment of those Jews held captive by the Babylonians. We ask ourselves if anyone has ever suffered like the Jew! Yet missiologists say that more Christians have been martyred in the twentieth century than all other centuries combined.

           “Lord, have mercy!” was used often by mother and her generation. I have heard her say it many times. Too many times actually because I was often the cause of her consternation. Whenever she couldn’t understand my actions and attitudes, whenever she couldn’t believe the mess I had made of things, and whenever I needed grace she would often say “Lord, have mercy.” I usually joined her very soon in saying it myself.

           Asking for God’s mercy is an admission of our weakness and His strength. It acknowledges our emptiness and His fullness. It confesses our stupidity and His wisdom. It is a cry for help when we are suffering. It is a cry for wisdom when we are perplexed. It is a cry for rescue when we are in trouble.

Lord, have mercy on all those who call on thee today. AMEN