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Lord, Have Mercy

             Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name. (Psalm 119:132)

            And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, (Exodus 34:6)

             This morning I find myself returning to a mental chorus: “Lord, have mercy.”  One of the popular definitions of mercy is “not getting what we deserve.” Grace is “getting what we don’t deserve.” And compassion is (among other things) “concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.” As I prayed, “Lord, have mercy,” I wondered what I needed mercy from God for. What did I do that I wanted God to not treat me as I deserve?

            When nothing specific came to mind, it came to mind that the word I was using might be wrong. Might I be looking for grace? To be treated in a way I didn’t deserve? That was closer, but not quite it, either. The next candidate was “compassion.” Did I want God to show concern for my sufferings and misfortunes? What sufferings or misfortunes?

            I still haven’t worked out exactly what I’m asking God for when I say, “Lord, have mercy.” And I know God knows what I’m looking for, even if I don’t.  God isn’t trapped by our inexactitude. If I ask for mercy and I need compassion, He’s wise and will meet me according to my needs. It’s not for His sake that I’m struggling over the form of my need. It’s for me, because understanding is part of maturation.

            Understanding these things also helps us love others facing the same sort of difficulties. Oddly enough, the solution to my word puzzle came from someone else’s word puzzle. She was trying to find a term to use for an item that breaks a curse. After some back-and-forth, I realized that the opposite of a curse is a blessing. When I mentioned that to her, I realized that’s also the term I’m looking for when I say, “Have mercy, Lord.” And that makes all the difference in the world.

 

 

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