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HAVE MERCY ON ME

Psalms 56:2-4 LXX (57:1-3)

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will hope,
Until lawlessness shall pass away.
I will cry out to God most High;
My God who is my benefactor.
He sent from heaven and saved me;
He gave over to disgrace those who trample me down.
(Pause)
God sent out His mercy and His truth,

Personal Challenge

One of the most used prayers in the Eastern Orthodox Church is, “Lord have mercy!”. We believe that we deserve nothing from our God, especially His mercy. We also believe that God is love and in that love He pours out mercy to His children. This is why we continually petition Him for this mercy. There is so much that comes with His mercy. He will cover us with protection as a mother hen does. He is our benefactor and delivers us from our conflicts. He demonstrokes His love for us in so many ways. Glory be to God!

NO FEAR

Psalms 55:4-5 LXX (56:3-4)

I will not fear by day,
But I will hope in You.
I will praise God with my words all day long;
In God I hope; I will not be afraid; what will flesh do to me?

Encouraging Words

As followers of Christ, we believe, we know, that we have nothing to fear in our lives. No matter what the world may throw at us, we rest assured in our belief, and our hope, that our God will protect us. We also believe that anything that happens to us in this temporal life does not affect us in our eternal life except to make us stronger in Christ. I wil not be afraid. Glory be to God!

HOPE AND CARES

Psalms 54:23-24 LXX (55:22-23)

Cast your care upon the Lord,
And He shall support you;
He will never allow the righteous to be moved.
But You, O God, will bring them down into the pit of decay;
Men of blood and deceit
Shall not live even half their days.
But I will hope in You, O Lord.

Personal Challenge

We put our hope in our Lord. We do not need scientific proof or earthly proclamations to do this. It is by the faith that our Lord has embued within us that we hope in Him. By this hope, this faith, we cast all our cares upon Him trusting that He will protect and cherish His followers. Glory be to God!

BEING HEARD

Psalms 54:17-18 LXX (55:16-17)

But I cried out to God,
And the Lord heard me.
Evening and morning and midday, I shall tell;
I shall proclaim, and He will hear my voice.

Encouraging Words

We live in a noisy world. On top of that our lives are consumed by busyness and chaos. Is it no wonder that so many people are haunted by loneliness and exhaustion? As I follower of Christ, I relish in the fact, and the experience, of being heard by our God. He does hear our voice and listens to our petitions. I will proclaim this as the Psalmist did millennia ago. Glory be to God!

A PROPER SACRIFICE

Psalms 50:19 LXX (51:17)

A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit,
A broken and humbled heart God will not despise.

Personal Challenge

There are many times in the Scriptures, both Old Testament and New Testament, where acts of sacrifice or worship are rejected by God. He makes it clear that our actions toward Him mean nothing if they do not come from a heart that is His. This heart is broken in spirit, submitting all to Him. It is humbled before God and our neighbor. Our repentence must come from a broken and humbled heart, which leads us to right worship and sacrifice. Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

LORD, HAVE MERCY

Psalms 50:3-6 LXX (51:1-4)

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy;
And according to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgression.
Wash me thoroughly from my lawlessness
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my lawlessness,
And my sin is always before me.
Against You only have I sinned
And done evil in Your sight;
That You may be justified in Your words,
And overcome when You are judged.

Personal Challenge

We all sin, which is falling short of God’s expectations for us. Sometimes the sins are acts that we have committed. Sometimes they are things that we should have done and didn’t. Whatever the case, if we sincerly turn to God and repent of our sin, He will forgive us of our sin and have mercy upon us. The repentence, true repentence, is often the hard part but it is the part that opens the door for cleansing and renewal. Lord Jesus Christ, Son
of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Saint of the Week

St. Gabriel Urgebadze of Georgia

NEVER ALONE

Psalms 45:12 LXX (46:11)

The Lord of hosts is with us,
The God of Jacob is our protector.

Encouraging Words

We all have those times when we feel alone. Sometimes it even feels like we have been abandoned. This is never true for followers of Christ. God the Lord of hosts, is always with us. We can turn to Him to take those feelings of loneliness away. He is also our protector that we can always turn to for protection. Glory be to God!

BE STILL

Psalms 45:11 LXX (46:10)

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations;
I will be exalted in the earth.

Personal Challenge

Often, the most challenging thing for us to do is to slow down and be still. Our busyness, even if it is doing work for God, gets in our way of truly knowing God. We need to take time to be still and sit in His presence, quieting our thoughts, turning off our passions, and listening for His quiet voice. Sometimes even our prayers need to be muted as we listen to Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

OUR REFUGE

Psalms 45:2 LXX (46:1)

God is our refuge and power;
A help in afflictions that severely befall us.

Encouraging Words

The Psalms are comprised of so many reminders of how much God loves us and cares for us. Whether we choose to believe in Him or not we are still made in His image, set apart from all the rest of creation. He is our refuge, the One, the place that we can run to for protection and solace. He is our source of power and life. Whatever life may throw at us, He is there to be our help. Glory be to God!