I cannot wrap my brain around what it must have been like to walk with Jesus, to hear him speak – to be made whole in miraculous ways. To know the physical, tangible, realness of calling out, loud above the noise of the crowd in such a way that you could see the effects of that shouting, that calling out as He turned His eyes toward you. Or if you were blind, to feel the breath on your face as He spoke, the fingers of the son of God as they touched your eyes. . . to believe and want Him to hear you so much, you didn’t care about manners or what people thought.

A blind man sat begging on the Jericho road:
“And he cried out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!'”
Those who led the way admonished him to be silent,
but he cried out all the louder,
‘Son of David, have mercy on me!'”
~ Luke 18:38-39

A leper bold enough to be in a city:
“While He was in one of the cities, behold,
there was a man covered with leprosy;
and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face
and implored Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing,
You can make me clean.’
And He stretched out His hand
and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing;
be cleansed.’ And immediately the leprosy left him.”
~ Luke 5:12-13

A Canaanite woman cried out for her daughter:
“And a Canaanite woman from that region came out
and began to cry out, saying,
‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David;
my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.’”
~ Matthew 15:22

Jesus did. . . have mercy on those who called out to Him – for all kinds of healing. Even a mother calls out for mercy for herself, for the challenges she faces as the mother of a daughter demon-possessed. A mother or father can be just as broken by a child’s suffering as the child itself. She wasn’t a Jew. She didn’t go to their church. The crowd was telling Jesus she wasn’t good enough. Even the disciples were irritated by her constant calling out. Matthew Henry in his commentary said they wanted Jesus to answer her request just so they wouldn’t have to hear her anymore – some of it because she wasn’t a Jew, some of it because she was annoying. She might have battled unworthiness, but it is surprising the not-giving-up determination born in a mother when her child is born. A mother’s love will send her outside a Jesus-less culture straight to the feet of Jesus, her soul recognizing that only He can do the saving.

This mother placed herself in front of Him, drew near, engaged in a debate with Jesus. Can you imagine? Debating with Jesus? The Son of God?

When she first asked, He said nothing. . . not a word. Ouch!

Matthew Henry in his commentary comforts those who draw near, encourages them to not give up if the initial contact isn’t what they want or expect: “. . .there may be love in Christ’s heart while there are frowns in his face.” This mother didn’t give up!

“Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’
 But He answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.’
And she said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.’
Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.”
 And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” ~ Matthew 15: 25-28.

Elliot’s commentary says, ” . . . from the first He had purposed to comply with her request, and spoke as He did only to test and manifest her faith.”

Are we willing in our requests, questions and prayers to Jesus, to humble ourselves in the testing of our faith, so that it not only manifests but grows as it manifests?

I wrote about The Jesus Prayer a few weeks ago (here). These scriptures from the gospel flesh out the prayer that when Jesus walked the earth was a face-to-face cry for His mercy. I am continuing to pray it, to draw near, to be humbled. Breaking down the words into their meanings help understand the real, living meaning behind each word.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me – and I pray,

Lord Jesus Christ,
Have Mercy on the Lost Lambs.
Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me, A Sinner.

Lord:
“A master; a person possessing supreme power and authority; a ruler; a governor; In scripture, the Supreme Being; Jehovah. When lord in the Old Testament, it prints in capitals, it is the translation of JEHOVAH, and so might, with more propriety, be rendered. The word is applied to Christ, Psalms 110:1. Colossians 3:16. and to the Holy Spirit, 2 Thessalonians 3:1. As a title of respect, it is applied to kings, Genesis 40:1. 2 Samuel 19:7. to princes and nobles, Gen 42. Daniel 4:19. to a husband, Genesis 18:1. to a prophet, 1 Kings 18:1. 2 Kings 2:1. and to a respectable person, Gen 24. Christ is called the lord of glory, 1 Corinthians 2:8. and lord of lords, Revelation 19:1.” ~ 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary

Lord Jesus Christ,
Redeem the Lost Lambs.
Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me, A Sinner.

The Messiah is the same person as “the seed of the woman” ( Genesis 3:15 ), “the seed of Abraham” ( Genesis 22:18 ), the “Prophet like unto Moses” ( Deuteronomy 18:15 ), “the priest after the order of Melchizedek” ( Psalms 110:4 ), “the rod out of the stem of Jesse” ( Isaiah 11:1 Isaiah 11:10 ), the “Immanuel,” the virgin’s son ( Isaiah 7:14 ), “the branch of Jehovah” ( Isaiah 4:2 ), and “the messenger of the covenant” ( Malachi 3:1 ). This is he “of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write.” The Old Testament Scripture is full of prophetic declarations regarding the Great Deliverer and the work he was to accomplish. Jesus the Christ is Jesus the Great Deliverer, the Anointed One, the Saviour of men. This name denotes that Jesus was divinely appointed, commissioned, and accredited as the Saviour of men ( Hebrews 5:4 ; Isaiah 11:2-4 ; 49:6 ; John 5:37 ; Acts 2:22 ).” ~ Bible Study Tools

Lord Jesus Christ,
Break the hearts of the saved
for the lost lambs.
Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me, A Sinner.

Jesus:
“The Lord is salvation; Yeshua in Hebrew is a verbal derivative from ‘to deliver, save or rescue.”

Lord Jesus Christ,
Have mercy on those hurt
by the business of church.
Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me, A Sinner.

Christ:
The Greek word for Messiah

Lord Jesus Christ,
Have Mercy on the Fatherless
who are crying out to be redeemed.
Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me, A Sinner.

The Messiah:
the Greek translation of the Hebrew word rendered “Messiah” (q.v.), the official title of our Lord, occurring five hundred and fourteen times in the New Testament. It denotes that he was anointed or consecrated to his great redemptive work as Prophet, Priest, and King of his people. He is Jesus the Christ ( Acts 17:3 ; 18:5 ; Matthew 22:42 ), the Anointed One. He is thus spoken of by ( Isaiah 61:1 ), and by ( Daniel 9:24-26 ), who styles him “Messiah the Prince.” ~ Easton’s BIble Dictionary, 1897

Lord Jesus Christ,
Have mercy on those who struggle
with your authority
and convict them of your truth.
Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me, A Sinner.

Son of God:
“The Second Person of this Trinity is God’s Son, Jesus Christ. He is co-equal with God the Father. He was not a Son of God but the Son of God. He is the Eternal Son of God—the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, God manifested in the flesh, the living Savior. . . He came to reveal God to men. He told us that God loves us and is interested in our lives. He told us of the mercy and long-suffering and grace of God. He promised life everlasting. . .But more than that, Jesus Christ partook of flesh and blood in order that He might die. … The very purpose of Christ’s coming into the world was that He might offer up His life as a sacrifice for the sins of men. He came to die.” ~ Billy Graham

Lord Jesus Christ,
Have Mercy on the mother’s children
and turn their hearts towards you.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me a sinner!

Mercy:
“That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy That which comes nearest to it is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion, and clemency, but exercised only towards offenders. mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being.” ~ 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary

Lord Jesus Christ,
Spark courage in the heart of those who come to you
that they may see past any possible frowns on your face
to see the love you have in your heart for them.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me a sinner!

A Sinner:
“One that has voluntarily violated the divine law; a moral agent who has voluntarily disobeyed any divine precept, or neglected any known duty; It is used in contradistinction to saint, to denote an unregenerate person; one who has not received the pardon of his sins.” 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” ~ Romans 3:23

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ~ Romans 5:8

“How many are my iniquities and sins [that so much sorrow should come to me]? Make me recognize and understand my transgression and my sin.” ~ Job 13:23

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me a sinner!

Remember Me Monday: #90 & Link-up

“I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
    all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
    his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
.    love extravagant.”
~ Isaiah 63:7, The Message

In the Old Testament, God repeatedly, quietly and loudly, tells his children, “You have forgotten me!”  (Jeremiah 3:32, Ezekiel 22:12, to name a few). It’s a heart cry from a father to a child who has forgotten all the love, all the saving, helping, little and big blessings – and it leaves me stunned when I realize our Father, the creator of the universe, who knows things I cannot begin to fathom, who authors storylines that leave me amazed, delights in all of us so much, He cries out, “Remember Me.”

While every day is a Remember God Day, I am inviting you to join me on Monday mornings to come by and remember what God has done for you, for your family. Maybe God sent a cardinal darting out in front of you, as if to tell you, “I’m here,” or broke a child’s fever after you laid it all down at His feet in a 2 a.m. bedside vigil. Maybe He stood with you in the wait of a prayer sent out, or brought someone you loved to Christ. Maybe He healed your broken heart, gave your courage, or you gave Him your dreams as a love offering only to have Him give them back in an unimaginable way. Maybe God helped you survive to bedtime after a crazy Monday, or forgive yourself for missing it with your kiddos –– Whatever it is, let’s Remember Him. . . in a “Remember Me Monday” love letter.

“My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
Of your salvation all the day long,
Though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord”
~ Psalm 71:15-16.

Let us delight in Him by telling the  stories of what He’s done!  If you wrote a blog post remembering what He’s done for you, join the linky. If you didn’t but still want to praise Him for what He’s done – write it in the comment section. Then visit a comment before or after yours! One of the beautiful things about the blogging community is the relationships it builds!

Rules?  Write long or short, a list or a story, include photos or not. Just Remember Him and what He has done, and let the gratitude of your heart guide you. Let’s make Monday so Rejoice, that the goodness of God spills into the rest of the week!

Places I’m Linking at This Week:
 Inspire Me Monday,   Instaencouragements, 
Legacy Link-Up, Recharge Wednesday
 Faith on Fire, Tell His Story, Grace&Truth
Let’s Have Coffee Wednesday Celebrate Your Story