Prayer for Mercy
Prayer for Comfort, Justice, and Mercy
“I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.”
O God,
I have cried out to you time and time again. In times of joy, my laughter rung out and you delighted in its lilt and unrestrained song. In times of anguish, my groans and sobs reached your ears and you cried with me. My cries have been ignored by others—but never by you.
They have been dismissed or excused or demeaned by others—but never by you. For you have honored each one by hearing. You have received each one as words from a beloved.
You heard Sarah inside the tent and honored her disbelieving laugh.
You heard Hagar’s desperation and her son’s cries and rescued and redeemed.
You heard Hannah in the temple and gave her comfort and a hope.
You heard the Hebrew people’s cries while enslaved in Egypt and led them, victoriously, to freedom.
I love you, Lord, for you have heard our voices. You have heard my voice when I cried for mercy. You heard my voice when I cried out of sadness, and joy, and desperation, and anger. Because you turned your hear to me, I will call on you as long as I shall live. Thanks be to you, O God who hears.
Amen.
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Submitted by:
Shelley Woodruff, Pastor for Community Engagement, First Baptist Decatur