Do not let us be put to shame,
but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.
Deliver us by your wonders,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord.
If we want mercy we must be open to mercy. We must be willing to let mercy flow through us to others. We would prefer a version of mercy where we are forgiven the sins of which we are guilty but which still allows us to live a self-centered exist. The mercy of God is not like that.
His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?'
How can we receive the mercy of the King and remain unchanged? How can he forgive us a debt we can never repay and still harden our hearts? How can we ever hold a grudge against anyone after being forgiven so much at so great a cost? Let us ask the LORD for the humility to receive his mercy and be transformed.
But with contrite heart and humble spirit
let us be received;
This means that forgiving others who trespass against us is serious business. Each time we do we say yes to the mercy of the Father. Each time we don't we close our heart to that mercy.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.
The LORD knows that we struggle to show mercy as wrecklessly and selflessly as he does. He is able to do it precisely because of his absolute humility which does not count wrongs nor seek self-interest. He wants to guide us to be like him.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
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