A Cry For Grace And Mercy

Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress. My problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all! Feel my pain and see my trouble. Forgive all my sins.

Psalm 25:16-18

EUGENE GLADSTONE O’NEILL DESCRIBED the human condition as follows: “Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue.” That’s about right. We’re all sufferers in need of God’s grace and mercy. Thus, the prayer offered in Psalm 25:16-18 is one we all can relate to, having experienced loneliness and affliction, as well as the crushing burden of sin, at one time or another.

Sometimes all we can do is cry out to God for grace and mercy. We don’t have any solutions of our own. We are in a position of complete dependence on Him. His grace (giving us what we don’t deserve) and His mercy (not giving us what we do deserve) are our only hope.

Though the psalmist is obviously distressed, he is not without hope (and neither should we be). His instinct is to turn to God for help, to plead with the Lord for forgiveness and deliverance. He knows God’s character. He knows that God’s faithfulness is not dependent on his own. So he prays.

Life has a way of humbling even the proudest, most self-sufficient among us. Though no one enjoys suffering, it does produce endurance, character, and hope, as Paul details in Romans 5:3-4. Don’t be surprised if you can’t handle things on your own. You’re not supposed to be able to. God wants us to learn to trust Him.

BOTTOM LINE

Prayer is our lifeline to God. Ask Him for help. Ask Him for forgiveness. Ask Him to provide what you need. He delights to come through for His children.

Moment of Strength: Psalm 32:6