LORD, HAVE MERCY!

 

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

 

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

 

PRAYING FOR RAIN

 

Monday, August 24, 2026

 

PRAYING FOR RAIN

2Ch 7:13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

 

          Here in Texas, we do not take rain for granted. Currently we are under a heat dome. Temperatures have been, and will continue to be, above 100 degrees for at least another ten days. Each day there is an air quality alert, extreme heat warning, and an ozone action day. In simpler terms, it is unhealthy to leave the house.

 

          Rain was essential in the Holy Land as well. Crops and sheep needed cool water and green pastures. God said that a lack of rain was an indication of His displeasure. He gave Solomon a formula for rain.

 

          Humility. If my people shall HUMBLE themselves. The word humble is kaw-nah’ which literally means “to bend the knee.”

 

          Prayer. The word PRAY is paw-lal’ not only means “to intercede” but also “to judge.” The idea is that we judge ourselves.

 

          Turn. The Hebrew word is shoob and it means “to turn back or to turn away.” The simple idea is that we should stop the wrong we are doing and return to doing the right things.

 

          God’s promised response is to HEAR, not simply to hear but to pay attention. FORGIVE, and HEAL. The word for heal is raw-faw’ and it means “to mend by stitching.”

 

Psa 23:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

Psa 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 

Psa 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

 

Lord, we need rain. Repair by stitching our broken fellowship. AMEN

 

CHECK IT OUT!

 

Sunday, August 23, 2026

 

CHECK IT OUT!

 

Acts 17:10-11

10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.

11 These [the believers in Berea] were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

 

2 Tim 4:2-4

2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

 

          Sometimes in a sermon, or a conversation with another believer, something will be said that sounds an alarm in me. Something just doesn’t fit what I’ve always read or been told. Excuse me, but I’ll have to check that out! This was the common practice of the Berean believers. Oh, they received the word with all readiness of mind but they compared teaching with the written word.

 

          Paul told Timothy the time would come when sound doctrine wouldn’t matter to those that listened. They would heap to themselves teachers who would scratch where they itched. Ultimately they would venture off into fables and pure fantasy. The remedy for this would be a meticulous adherence to written scripture.

 

          Timothy was urged to “preach the Word” and to be “instant” in season and out of season. The Greek word for “instant” is ephistemi which means “to stand by or to be present.”  To continue the military “guard duty” analogy, we can say that there must have been some marching or drilling before the soldier is ready to stand by. Constant study is the only thing that can prepare a person for any attack on the truth. Study takes time and our hurried lifestyle has filled all our appointments.

 

          Cults are full of those who have listened to someone weave a thread of pure fantasy into the fabric of reason and truth. Satan will not attack with a frontal assault but will flank you with a mixture of truth and error. You must compare what you hear with what has been written. You must check it out.

 

Dear Lord, help me to be a student of your Word that I may be able to “stand by” and to discern between truth and fables. AMEN