“Have mercy on me, O God…” Psalm 51:1
As a middle-aged man, I’m out of touch with texting acronyms.
LOL (laughing out loud) is about the extent of my knowledge.
So, when someone recently texted me, “LHM,” I didn’t really know how to respond. Thank God for Google. It turns out LHM is an acronym for “Lord, Have Mercy.”
In the texting world, LHM is slang for disbelief about something either really good or really bad, as in, “I can’t believe how messy my teenager’s room is. LHM.”
But in the biblical world, “Lord, have mercy” isn’t slang. “Lord, have mercy” is an expression of need, a declaration of humility. It solemnly acknowledges that we’re desperate for what only God can give because we never outgrow our need for mercy. Yes, “Lord, have mercy” is a prayer we can’t pray often enough.
Which brings me to Psalm 51.
On countless occasions, I’ve turned to this passage to help articulate my own cry for mercy.
King David wrote these words after blowing it and blowing it BIG time. He had lusted after Bathsheba, got her pregnant, and arranged to have her husband killed in an attempt to hide his sin. Risking his own life, the prophet, Nathan, bravely and shrewdly confronted David about his actions (2 Sam. 12:1-13).
Here, in the very opening of the Psalm, David comes clean. There are no excuses or rationalizations for his behavior, just an honest, heartfelt cry for mercy.
So, what is mercy, anyway?
Quite simply, mercy is not receiving the punishment we deserve. Though we’re guilty as charged, mercy declares us innocent, and we walk out of the heavenly courtroom scot-free. Our sins are “blotted out” not on account of anything we’ve done but solely on account of the Lord’s “unfailing love” and “great compassion” (Psalm 51:1). You see, the Lord is quite literally merciful, as in, “overflowing with mercy.” Consequently, we don’t have to coerce or manipulate mercy out of Him. All we have to do is ask.
Lord, have mercy.
The way I see it, there are three potential mistakes when it comes to mercy:.
We ask for mercy without seeking to repent.
Not only does David ask for mercy, but he also asks the Lord to “create in him a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within him” (Psalm 51:10). Our prayers for mercy are to be accompanied by a desire to turn from sin and follow Jesus.
We think we’re beyond the reach of mercy.
No matter what we’ve done, what we’ve said, or what we’ve thought, nothing (and I mean nothing) excludes us from the mercy of Jesus. The Bible is filled with stories of people who sinned horribly and yet still received mercy. Let David’s story remind you that you can’t ‘out sin’ the mercy of God. As the popular worship chorus says, “Our sins are many, but His mercy is more.”
We fail to personalize mercy.
Many of us understand mercy with our minds but don’t allow it into our hearts. We see mercy as nothing more than an abstract theological concept. It’s a topic to be discussed at church but lacks relevance to our everyday lives.
If this sounds like you, I pray that David’s prayer becomes your prayer. May you see the ugliness of your sin, turn from it, and embrace the beauty of His mercy.
LHM.
LHM, indeed.
“Our Savior kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives. But rather than recoil in horror, He reaches out in kindness and says, ‘I can clean that if you want.’ And from the basin of His grace, He scoops a palm full of mercy and washes our sin.” Max Lucado
Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH
DIG DEEPER
Read “Recognizing Your Need for Mercy” by George Wright
