1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:15,200 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your daily prayer, 2 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: where we help you find the words you need to 3 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,599 Speaker 1: connect to your Father in Heaven. No matter what's happening 4 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:23,280 Speaker 1: in your life today, you can trust that God wants 5 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: to hear from you. Right after this short word from 6 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: our sponsors, we'll pray through today's prayer for learning to 7 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: be Merciful and Loving It. A Prayer for Learning to 8 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: Be Merciful and Loving It, written by Tammy Darling, read 9 00:00:55,440 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 1: by Leah Gerard. He has shown you, oh mortal, what 10 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: is good and what does the Lord require of you? 11 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: To act justly and to love mercy and to walk 12 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 1: humbly with your God? Micah six eight. Have you ever 13 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: read a Bible verse seemingly a million times and suddenly 14 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: one day something pops out from it that you never 15 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:26,959 Speaker 1: saw before? Cout me too, and I am in awe. 16 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 1: One of my favorite scripture verses is Micah six eight. 17 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 1: I once purchased an intricately carved metal sign made by 18 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 1: a Haitian artist with the words act justly, love mercy, 19 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: and walk humbly, and hung it on my wall immediately 20 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: following a visit to Haiti. Still, I didn't get it oh, 21 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: I got the gist of the verse. In a nutshell, 22 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 1: I'm to be just merciful and humble. But that was 23 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 1: just a tip of the proverbial iceberg. There's more to it. 24 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: One day, the words love mercy jumped out at me 25 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 1: like they were the predator and I was the prey. 26 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:14,520 Speaker 1: I was overcome, that's for sure. I always interpreted the 27 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: verses saying I was to practice mercy, you know, demonstrate mercy. 28 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:23,080 Speaker 1: That's all good and true, and it's even how it 29 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: works out in everyday life. But that's not what the 30 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 1: verse says. It says I'm to love mercy. Love takes 31 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 1: mercy to a whole new level. I've practiced mercy, but 32 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: not in love. I've demonstrated what mercy looks like, but 33 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:48,920 Speaker 1: my heart wasn't truly in it. I was just going 34 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 1: through the obligatory motions to be a true doer of 35 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: the word and not a hearer. Only. As we're advised 36 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 1: in James one twenty two, I am to love mercy. 37 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: Any acts of mercy must be seasoned with love. Sometimes 38 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 1: that's a hard truth nugget to chew on, because here's 39 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 1: the thing. I've been hurt often and deeply. I'm sure 40 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:19,799 Speaker 1: you have been too. Hurt. People hurt people, and right 41 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 1: now I'm hurting badly. But I cannot ignore what God 42 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: has shown me. And I am to love mercy. Why 43 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: because God is mercy. It's a facet of his character. 44 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: I'm circling back to Romans twelve nineteen, which instructs this, 45 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room 46 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: for God's Wrathford is written, it is mine to avenge. 47 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: I will repay, says the Lord. I don't have to 48 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 1: punish the person by withholding mercy. Instead, I can look 49 00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: at the person through God's eyes and not my own. 50 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 1: When I look with my own eyes, all I see 51 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: is the pain inflicted. When I look through God's eyes, 52 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 1: I see a troubled person who hasn't yet been able 53 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:16,840 Speaker 1: to truly receive God's love and forgiveness. Big difference. No 54 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 1: matter how you've been hurt, remember this, God's eyes are 55 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:28,280 Speaker 1: full of love, which enables us to love mercy. On 56 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: our own. We cannot offer genuine love infused mercy that 57 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: points to God. But as Matthew nineteen twenty six says, 58 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:42,479 Speaker 1: with God, all things are possible. Loving God means that 59 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:47,440 Speaker 1: we love mercy too. Some one O three eight says 60 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:51,039 Speaker 1: the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and 61 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: abounding in mercy. Did you catch that the Lord is 62 00:04:56,880 --> 00:05:01,840 Speaker 1: merciful and abounds in mercy. Mercy is who God is. 63 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 1: That's why we can love mercy, and by God's grace 64 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 1: we can extend that mercy to others in love. Let's pray, 65 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:17,040 Speaker 1: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for showing us the myriad 66 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: facets of your character and who we can become in 67 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: the process of such revelation. Because we're made in your image, 68 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: it is possible for us to love mercy no matter 69 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:34,920 Speaker 1: what's been said or done against us. You tell us 70 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:39,720 Speaker 1: Lord in Matthew nine thirteen that you desire mercy, not sacrifice. 71 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:43,039 Speaker 1: May our hearts come into alignment with your will on 72 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:47,040 Speaker 1: this matter and not on our own. Let us remember 73 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: James two thirteen, which says, because judgment without mercy will 74 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:55,279 Speaker 1: be shown to anyone who has not been merciful, mercy 75 00:05:55,800 --> 00:06:01,719 Speaker 1: triumphs over judgment. We release to you all pain and 76 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: hurt we've experienced at the hands of others, and we 77 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: choose to love mercy instead, and in fact dispense it 78 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 1: like confetti. As we love what you love, Lord, we 79 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: will experience more of You, and that's what we truly 80 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:36,280 Speaker 1: desire in your merciful name, Amen. Your Daily Prayer is 81 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:40,039 Speaker 1: a production of Life Audio and Salem Media. If you 82 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:42,600 Speaker 1: liked what you heard today, be sure to follow our 83 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 1: sister show your nightly prayer. You can find your nightly 84 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 1: prayer at lifeaudio dot com or in your favorite podcast app. 85 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 1: By following your daily prayer and your nightly prayer, you 86 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 1: can be sure that your day begins and ends center 87 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:08,760 Speaker 1: on the Word of God and prayer hmm.