It’s Day 11 of Lenten “Lord Have Mercy” devotionals, and we’re engaging in introspection using “O Holy Night” by John Kass as our prayer guide. He writes,
For all the grieving parents who were told again and again by politicians in Washington that the border was secure…
For the innocent child victims and young women victims of sex-traffickers who controlled the Southern border for years,
A millstone waits patiently to be placed around the necks of those who hurt the “little ones” and have led them into sin. This is the time of mercy, but Jesus was clear about what he would do to those who hurt his little ones.” (John Kass)
As Christians, our hearts should be particularly burdened for the victimized
who might never have been assaulted or violated in any way
had we been doing what was right all along. But we did not.
Lord, have mercy!
We accepted politicians lying to us. We accepted policies that enriched a few at the expense of the most vulnerable. We mistook complacency for compassion. We handed over our governance to an elite class who told us they knew better in exchange for promises of scraps that never materialized. Worse, in far too many mainline churches, we selected false teachers to push agendas instead of being faithful shepherds of the flock. Mainline churches who enabled and even linked arms with bureaucrats and traffickers which “lost track” of hundreds of thousands of kids trafficked through our borders.
It’s not a red or blue issue. It’s an integrity issue, and we have elected those who govern and judge as if they have none. People have turned aside to what they want to believe, defending the indefensible, and making things political instead of doing what’s right for the victimized.
Psalm 25: 18 Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. 19 See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me! 20 Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in You. 21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in You.
Lord, Have Mercy!
Prayer Focus: We lift innocent victims up to You and ask that You would be their Refuge and Redeemer. Grant us courage to stand for what is right in Your eyes.
===
You can find these “Κύριε, ἐλέησον, ‘Lord, have mercy” devotionals here or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter!
Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:
Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014.
Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations. We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17.
ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ. It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
Revelation in 40 devotionals for 2022 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.
“Created to Display His Image” explored what it truly means to be made in God’s Image and the profound significance of that fact. They are archived beginning February 22, 2023.
“Seeing His Love with New Eyes” was the topic for 2024 and it explored looking at God’s love beyond the superficial and trite notions of love. They are archived beginning February 14, 2024.
“The Way it Had to Be” explored the conversation in Luke 24 by the men on the Road to Emmaus as they walked with Jesus. They discovered their assumption “This is not how it was supposed to be” was precisely what had to happen and had been predicted throughout the Old Testament and fulfilled in Jesus’ ministry. These devotionals are archived beginning March 5, 2025.