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A Cry For Mercy

Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.” – Psalm 86:6-7

When is a cry for help also a cry for mercy?

In our passage for today, David calls out for help from God. Most, if not all of us, have done the same. We find ourselves in a situation where we have no idea how to get out, how to find safety. So, we call our to God in our desperation.

A Situation of Our Own Creation
Sometimes, we are in this situation because we put ourselves there. Maybe we meant to do what we did and it didn’t work out or maybe we didn’t realize what we were doing, but either way, we ended up in our predicament with our own hands.

Now, we find ourselves in a desperate situation with no solution. “Help me, God!” we cry out.

In those moments we realize our sinfulness, our foolishness, and our utter weakness. As humiliating as it is, these are all good things. In these moments we realize our utter dependence on God and submit, once again to Him. Praise God for these moments which rightfully align us to God.

A Situation of Someone Else’s Creation
Sometimes, these situations are not our fault. Someone has intended wickedness toward us through no fault of our own. The world is wicked and does wicked things.

In these cases do we call out to God with righteous indignation or is it still a cry for mercy. Yes and yes. The situation is not our fault and we may rightly call out to God to set things right for us. Then again, we are still sinful and we have no right to call out to God for anything.

It would be like one traitor turning on another. Yes, we are right to call out their treachery, but we are still traitors, ourselves. 

So, even in these situations, it is still a cry for mercy.

The fact is that we are all sinners, even in our best moments. Whether our claim to being wronged is correct or not doesn’t change our own sinfulness. So, we never stand before God demanding His help as though we deserve it.

As Martin Luther said,

“This is true. We are all beggars.”

None of us deserve to stand before God at all. We are all sinners in desperate need of forgiveness and salvation. Thankfully, God provides our forgiveness and salvation. Jesus died for our forgiveness and salvation. God gave us exactly what we needed.

So, call out to God in your time of need.

He will listen. However, do not call out in arrogance as though you deserve anything. Call out as one who deserves nothing but knows the one who can help will gladly do it for the one they love. Call out as a child who knows their Father loves them and will always care for them, even when they don’t deserve to be helped.

That is what God does. He helps us, not because we deserve it, but because He loves us and desires to help us.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for loving me and helping me though I know I don’t deserve any of it. Your grace and mercy are beyond anything I could expect, yet You give it freely and abundantly. May I always turn to You, both in my time of need and in my time of plenty.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt