Lord, Have Mercy
Jonah 2:1-2 - From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. He said: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.”
After hearing about the devastating 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Morocco that has killed thousands, I have been thinking of so many natural disasters happening around the world. I expect we have all felt a sense of horror at the damage, fear and loss of life.
Do you feel like Jonah? Swallowed up inside the distresses of our world, with diminishing hope? But Paul Harvey always said (those who don’t know Mr. Harvey, Google him) – “and now the rest of the story.” From the “depths of the grave” inside the fish, Jonah called out to God for help – and God listened and delivered him from his desperate situation.
Let us take comfort that no matter how dark, how seemingly impossible situations are, we can and must call out to God for help.
It is understandable that all this distress has a negative effect on our hearts. I understand how anger, fear and frustration begin to take hold of our hearts. I admit that I need help with my attitude at times. I’ve come to understand that I can’t be bold in prayer when I let fear and hopelessness take root in my heart. I try to remember what God has taught me in His word - I can’t speak calm to the storm(s) around me when there’s a storm in my heart.
There’s a passage in Psalm 55:17 that we can turn to and see how David revealed what he learned – persistence in calling out to God in prayer for help and comfort in times of distress. When my emotions make it hard to form the right words in prayer, I try to remember God’s mercy is without limit so I start with a simple “Lord, have mercy.”
Let us commit to looking to God in prayer for His help and comfort in these times of extraordinary distress. Look to God in prayer for your needs when you wake, throughout your day, and before falling asleep at night.
I’m personally confident that we will see God’s work as we continue to have patience, seek mercy, and unburden our hearts so we can recognize God is truly in control.
Heavenly Father have mercy on us! Help us to put our faith in You, the One who hears & saves, Amen!