A Prayer for Learning to Be Merciful… and Loving It - Your Daily Prayer - March 30
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A Prayer for Learning to Be Merciful… and Loving It
By Tammy Darling
Bible Reading:
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8, NIV
Have you ever read a Bible verse, seemingly a million times, and suddenly one day something pops out from it that you never saw before? Yeah, me too. And I am in awe.
One of my favorite scripture verses is Micah 6:8. I once purchased an intricately carved metal sign made by a Haitian artist with the words “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly” and hung it on my wall immediately following a visit to Haiti.
Still, I didn’t get it. Oh, I “got” the gist of the verse: In a nutshell, I’m to be just, merciful, and humble. But that was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There’s more to it.
One day, the words love mercy jumped out at me like they were the predator, and I was the prey. I was overcome; that’s for sure.
I always interpreted the verse as saying I was to practice mercy, you know, demonstrate mercy. That is all good and true. And it’s even how it works out in everyday life. But that is not what the verse says. It says I’m to love mercy.
Love takes mercy to a whole new level. I’ve practiced mercy… but not in love. I’ve demonstrated what mercy looks like… but my heart wasn’t truly in it; I was just going through the obligatory motions. To be a true doer of the word and not a hearer only (James 1:22), I am to love mercy. Any acts of mercy must be seasoned with love. Sometimes, that’s a hard truth nugget to chew on.
Because here’s the thing: I’ve been hurt. Often and deeply. I’m sure you have been, too. Hurt people hurt people. And right now, I’m hurting badly. But I cannot ignore what God has shown me. I am to love mercy. Why? Because God is mercy; it’s a facet of His character.
I’m circling back to Romans 12:19, which instructs this: “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
I don’t have to punish the person by withholding mercy. Instead, I can look at the person through God’s eyes and not my own. When I look with my own eyes, all I see is the pain inflicted; when I look through God’s eyes, I see a troubled person who hasn’t yet been able to truly receive God's love and forgiveness. Big difference.
No matter how you’ve been hurt, remember this: God’s eyes are full of love, which enables us to love mercy. On our own, we cannot offer genuine, love-infused mercy that points to God. But with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
Loving God means that we love mercy, too. “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 103:8, NKJV). Did you catch that? The Lord is merciful and abounds in mercy. Mercy is who God is. That is why we can love mercy, and by God’s grace, we can extend that mercy to others, in love.
Let’s Pray:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for showing us the myriad facets of Your character… and who we can become in the process of such revelation. Because we are made in Your image, it is possible for us to love mercy, no matter what has been said or done against us.
You, Lord, desire mercy, not sacrifice (Matthew 9:13). May our hearts come into alignment with Your will on this matter and not our own, “because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13).
We release to You all pain and hurt we have experienced at the hands of others, and we choose to love mercy instead, and in fact, dispense it like confetti. As we love what You love, Lord, we will experience more of You, and that is what we truly desire.
In Your Merciful name, Amen.
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Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Mladen Zivkovic
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