St Peters RC Church Hamilton

“He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147 v 3)

Lord God, Almighty Trinity, ever kindly,

Look upon us with mercy, be our mercy.

“Bow down Your ear, O LORD, hear me;

For I am poor and needy,” (Psalm 86 v 1) I know this of humanity.

I turn to You trustingly amidst calamity,

Or even the lesser difficulty of life’s strife.

For I believe in Your majesty and sovereignty.

You can, You will take charge of the situation,

As long as I approach it prayerfully.

For there is no doubt in my mind, none at all,

That “You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion,

And gracious,” - or else why allow that of Jesus? –

“Long suffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” (Psalm 86 v 5)

“May you be blessed by the LORD who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 115 v 15)

“For You Lord, are good and ready to forgive

And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.” (Psalm 86 v 5)

As we are abundantly forgiven, You ask of us

To abundantly forgive as Jesus did for us.

Is this not at the very root of healing,

And exactly how mercy works effectively?

Receiving mercy from You to be giving of this,

Enhances our life immeasurably, thank You.

Goodness must be evidenced by forgiveness,

Healing broken hearts, minds, shattered lives,

That which hatred, animosity, enmity have dangerously damaged.

Thank You for being the Sovereign Healer as Jesus shows us.

“Give ear Lord, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me.” (Psalm 86 v 6, 7)

“I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me...” (Psalm 86 v 12, 13)

This is my experience time and time and time again, thank You. But still I need more of Your kindness. I must not be complacent about this.

“Oh, turn to me and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant” (Psalm 86 v 16) to carry me through any difficulty.

“Show me a sign for good,” (v 17) out of the generosity of Your mercy, “That those who hate me, may see it and be ashamed, because You, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.” (Cont)

I need Your evident help through brotherly or sisterly merciful kindness, a visible sign of Your love at work.

Sovereign Lord, be ever mindful of us, our needs, our worries and woes. Teach us Your ways O LORD, ever bountiful in mercy.

Thus we must reverence by sharing and giving freely as much as we can, according to our circumstances. Let us not make excuses for any inertia or failure of response.

Lord of mercy, be our mercy. We cannot manage without this, not at all. Let us enjoy good and godly results as we turn to You.

“I have trusted in Your mercy, my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to You LORD, for You have dealt bountifully with us.” (based on Psalm 13 v 5, 6) Thank You for each and every act of mercy. Amen.