Lord Have Mercy!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6

A few days ago I walked in on a conversation in the hair salon among several women. I wasn’t privy to the beginning of the conversation, but suddenly one of the ladies exclaimed, “Lord have mercy!” Those three words took me immediately back to my young days working in my Grandmama’s “beauty shop” in my hometown. I helped out on Saturdays there by sweeping the floors, shampooing the ladies, and any other job my Grandmama needed.

I can distinctly remember the phrase “Lord have mercy” being used frequently, and I always wondered exactly what it meant! One lady came in one day, and when I asked how she was doing, she said, “Well, I am halfway between “Thank you, Jesus” and “Lord have mercy.“

I think many of us can identify with that sentiment. There are days when we are thankful, but there are just as many days when we need God’s mercy. Mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone when it is within their power to punish or harm; A disposition to be kind and forgiving; God’s gratuitous compassion.

When I was growing up, our Sunday School class at our church in my hometown was regulary assigned a Bible verse to commit to memory. The 23rd Psalm was one of those verses, and everytime I recite it a visual image of the shepherd with his sheep comes to mind (maybe from the Picture Bible I used). I can always picture the green hills with the shepherd following his sheep and protecting them with his love and mercy.

Phillip Keller in his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, says that the high summer land where the sheep grazed was called the “tablelands.” The shepherd would go ahead of the sheep to clear out the noxious weeds and other things that might harm the sheep, but no matter how carefully the shepherd prepares the way, the sheep still encounter thistles and thorns along the way. The shepherd must attend to each injured sheep and rub their wounds with oil. The shepherd never scolds the animal, he just tends to the wounds. This is a portrait of God’s merciful ways as no matter the hurts we incur in this life, He is always there to tend to them.

There are many times in this world where we need to extend mercy to others, and there are even more times when we need others to be merciful to us! A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice, and justice demands death. “I don’t ask for justice,” the mother replied, “I beg for mercy.” Napoleon responded, “But your son does not deserve mercy!” “Sir,” the mother replied, “it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask.” “Well then,” the Emperor said, “I will have mercy.“

I can identify. Years ago when I had my Learner’s Permit, my parents would allow me to drive by myself around the block of our small town. One day my aunt’s sister from England was visiting and asked to ride along. It wasn’t long befoe she asked to drive. She was eighteen, and I assumed that it would be an easy thing for her to do, so I let her. As we turned the corner, she hit the accelerator instead of the brake, and we crashed into a telephone pole. Nothing was hurt except my Mama’s new car. That evening as I waited anxiously for the punishment I knew was coming, my Daddy came in. “Sugar,” he said, “we all make mistakes, and you made one! I’m thankful you are both all right. Just remember to learn from this lesson, and by the way, this was an expensive one! ” I didn’t get justice. I got mercy!

Goodness is God giving us what we don’t deserve. Mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve. Just like the shepherd following the sheep, God follows us with mercy. That’s good news because if he followed us with justice, we would all be in trouble! God’s goodness and mercy are following us to bring us closer to the Good Shepherd.

God’s expression of mercy is the most profound expression of His love because it shows us that He remains faithful even when we are unfaithful. When the Lord is your shepherd, his love and mercy surround you now and forever.