April 26, Your Mercy Needs

Today’s reading: Psalms 126-130

“Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy” - Psalm 130:1-2.

It is easy to cry out for mercy when you have messed up or when you are in over your head or “out of the depths” as the psalmist phrased it. Then you are acutely aware of your need for God’s grace that you don’t deserve. It is much more difficult to maintain your sense of need when everything is going well. Yet your need for mercy is just as great when things are going well as when they are not going so well. The wisdom writer addressed this tendency in Proverbs 18:23: “The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly.” When you are aware of your need, you tend to answer softly and tread quietly. When you don’t see the need, you can become insensitive to the needs of others. Jesus guaranteed one surefire way to get the mercy you need, and that was to see your need for it and ask: “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner’” (Luke 18:13). Are you in touch with your need for mercy on a daily basis? Has that awareness affected how you pray, and how you talk or respond to others? Father, I was in need of mercy, I am still in need on a daily basis. I thank You for your mercy toward me, and I ask You to keep my need fresh in my mind, so I can extend mercy to others.