Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:36 (NIV)
Speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:12-13 (ESV)
Heavenly Father, we’re so glad you are “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3)—the God of limitless patience, inexhaustible forbearance, and incomparable compassion. Instead of giving us what we deserved, you gave us Jesus—who is our perfect righteousness, everlasting peace, and greatest joy.
It’s precisely because of your great love for us, that we stand convicted of the ways we love poorly—in thought, word, and action. We long for your mercy to trump our critical spirits. We want to live more fully by the “law of liberty, “and less as those stuck in the cycle of unkind attitudes. Forgive and free us, Father.
We own what you already know to be true. We’re too easily irritated, offended, and impatient. We react too quickly, take things too personally, and nurse grudges too often. We use indelible ink to keep records of the ways people hurt, fail, and disappoint us. Instead of living by the New Command—loving others as Jesus loves us, we live by the Old Ways of selfishness, entitlement, and payback.
Thank you for the riches of grace we have in Jesus, and for the desire to repent and change. By the power of your Holy Spirit, fuel and “supersize” our overlooking, forbearing, and forgiving. Help us cultivate “long fuses” and short memories. May even our body language become fluent in gentleness and kindness.
And for our more complex relationships, Father, we appeal to you for wisdom and strength. Show us what mercy looks like when we feel like we are being exploited, manipulated, and “played”. We know you’re not calling us to be “doormats”, but you are calling us to be foot washers. Our cry is, “Help, Abba, help!” So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ kind and compassionate name.
