“Listen to my prayer for mercy as I cry out to you for help, as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.” -Psalm 28:2 (NLT)
I did a little bit of studying before writing today’s post. One Bible commentary calls Psalm 28 a “Prayer of Distress,” and a another Bible dictionary defines mercy as “compassion for the miserable.”
Distress. Misery.
I know I’ve felt both of those multiple times during my battle with infertility.
The Psalms is full of prayers for mercy during difficult, miserable times. Many of them were penned by David, who experienced years of persecution from King Saul.
Despite his miserable state, David remained confident in God’s mercy. His prayers for mercy are almost always followed by prayers of thanksgiving to God for coming through and actually being merciful.
Praise be to the Lord,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him. (Psalm 28:6-7)
My commentary says that the language used in the original text denotes “not only an earnest desire [for mercy], but an earnest expectation [of mercy].”
As you pray for mercy today, ask God to help you pray with an earnest expectation of the mercy He will give you.
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