Lord Have Mercy

There is a lilting song that is expressive of our needs and a responsive answer. Before reading the lyrics below it is more meaningful if you know the Greek words for “Lord, have mercy,” are “Kyrie, eleison” that is to say, ‘Lord, soothe me, comfort me, take away my pain, show me your steadfast love.” Keep that in mind in reading the following and make it your prayer.

As we come before You with the needs of our world
We confess our failures and our sin
For our words are many yet our deeds have been few
Fan the fire of compassion once again.

Kyrie Eleison, have mercy
Christ Eleison, have mercy
Kyrie Eleison, have mercy
Christ Eleison, have mercy

When the cries of victims go unheard in the land
And the scars of war refuse to heal
Will we stand for justice to empower the weak
Till their bonds of oppression are no more?

Kyrie Eleison, have mercy
Christ Eleison, have mercy
Kyrie Eleison, have mercy
Christ Eleison, have mercy

The song ends with this:

Kyrie eleison down the road that I must travel
Kyrie eleison through the darkness of the night
Kyrie eleison where I’m going, will you follow? (Will you follow?)
Kyrie eleison on a highway in the light.

Perhaps you will find it more meaningful if you go back and pray it as a plea for God’s mercy.

Synonyms like compassion, lovingkindness, favor, and steadfast love often appear in Bible translations to illustrate the idea of mercy. A brief biblical definition of mercy is “the gift of God’s undeserved kindness and compassion.”

Mercy is a concept necessary to an understanding of God’s dealings with humankind. In English translations of the Bible, it comes to expression in phrases such as “to be merciful,” “to have mercy on,“ or “to show mercy toward.” The corresponding term, “merciful,” describes a quality of God and one that God requires of his people. Basically, we get mercy from God and we should resultantly show it to others as in His name. Lord, have mercy.