March 22, 2022
When I have nothing to offer to God except for my humble prayers for mercy, then I think I am getting closer to what God wants from me. God wants me. God longs for me. God longs for you, too. Kind of catches one up short, doesn’t it? Azariah, in the excerpt from Daniel, calls from the fiery furnace for mercy, regretting that he has nothing else to offer. He reminds God of the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Psalm 25 begs to be shown the right paths and asks for compassion. Once again, God is reminded that from of old, God has always shown compassion and kindness to those who humbly learn his ways. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus, always the teacher, reminds us that yes, God is compassionate and forgiving, but only to the extent that we are compassionate and forgiving to others. The parable of the debtor whose debt is forgiven but will not forgive the debt of another is offered as a lesson. This harkens back to the Lord’s Prayer yet again. It is a most dangerous prayer, and not to be prayed lightly. So back to my question: Will my humble prayers for mercy be heard? Of course! God desires them. The bigger question for me is: Do I show mercy to others? I hope I don’t have to be cast into a furnace of fire to learn this lesson!