"Lord, Have Mercy"
I don’t know if this frustrated employee meant it as a prayer, but I heard her say, “Lord, have mercy” while I waited at the slightly cracked open window. My reply was, “The Lord will answer a prayer like that!” She looked up at me a little surprised and embarrassed that I had overheard her self-talk. This lady, who takes my early morning orders at the local fast-food drive through, has complained before about her headset. She often apologizes to me that the device doesn’t always alert her to customers waiting at the ordering station.
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| "I Swan!" credit: pngtree.com |
How do you
express your frustrations? What is your “go-to saying” for these times? I had a
beloved Texas friend, who served as secretary for our church. She would
exclaim, “I swan!” when she was perplexed. The origin that of this south wide
phrase may simply be Baptist-speak for “I swear!” or I do declare!” I often
heard one of my mentoring leaders in the church draw out this exclamation,
“Geeeesh!” when he was frustrated. I don’t think these were substitutes for
prayer, but they did have some value for the release of negative emotions!
The
Book of Common Prayer
is a resource used by many church leaders and individuals in more formal traditions
to enhance personal and corporate worship throughout the church year. It offers
a ready reference to many Scripture passages from the Old and New Testaments, as
well as numerous written prayers. There is an entire section devoted to the
“Prayers of the People.”
Our
pastors have utilized an engaging technique from the sample prayers given in
this section. Worship leaders will offer their sentence prayers and then invite
the people to respond by affirming, “Lord, have mercy” following the specific
intercession. I have found that this is an engaging approach that freshens the
pastoral prayer time and it helps the worshipers to listen and pray along with
the pastor.
The phrase,
“Lord, have mercy,” is found in the Hebrew Scriptures and many of the Psalms.
Notably, the prayer of David in Psalm 51 leads with this powerful prayer of
contrition and repentance. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your
unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” (Ps. 51:1-2, NIV).
In the
Gospels, the blind man of Jericho shouted out his plea for help from Jesus by imploring,
“Have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47). The Publican in one of Jesus’ parables
pounded his breast and prayed aloud in his prayer at the Temple, “God, have
mercy on me, a sinner.” (Luke 18:13).
It is said
that the Early Christians regularly adopted scriptural pleas and cries into
their daily lives and corporate gatherings. By the fourth century AD, the
prayer, “Lord, have mercy” was a firmly established congregational response and
liturgical staple in Christian worship services. It has remained as a core component in
Orthodox and Protestant services. We would do well to consider
integrating this often-repeated plea for God’s grace, healing, and peace into
our praying today.
Feeling
annoyed, at times, is quite a natural emotion when we’re pressed by
circumstances or in challenging situations as we relate to others.. Overreacting
with a quick temper and harsh words are not appropriate responses for
believers. It is still better to be shaped by the fruit of the Spirit
(Galatians 5:22-23) where living and leading with love, patience, and
self-control are Christlike responses.
I want to believe that the employee at the drive through was offering up a gentle prayer for God’s help in her situation with the plea, “Lord, have mercy.” This was the right response and yes, a prayer that Jesus will answer!
active churchman and
doting grandparent.
Contact: drmjkeppler@gmail.com
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