Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

Have mercy on me, O God…. Psalm 51 opening stanza

Restoration and reconnections are terms that dictates that there was a falling away, being disconnected or suffering from a temporary loss of connectivity. The ‘re’ at the beginning of word suggests that the thing has been done before or the position occupied previously.

The cry for mercy suggests that the crier had finally realised that his course of action was wrong and there was a desperate need for change. “Have mercy on me, o Lord!” This is a cry for help, for clemency, for compassion that I don’t deserve. It is not a plea bargaining stance; it is not a ‘I want this situation changed now!’ request. It is a heartfelt request to someone who has the power to change a situation, but who may not.

This should be at the heart of a reflective practitioner, who thinks and meditates about their relationship with a loving, forgiving, merciful all powerful father.

Although Yahweh is all powerful and all mighty; Notice that the ‘all’ suggests that the divine is supremely strong and nothing is impossible for him. However, this fact is lost to the son or daughter until their senses have come back to them. The loss of power, the un-connectedness had the effect of thawing out the frigidity of pride and folly of arrogance.

So the son returned fell on his knees and exclaimed that he no longer deserved to be called a son. The king whose heart was a reflection of God’s heart, asked to be scoured like a burned Dutch pot. And we in the 21^st century, are we too busy to sit and reflect, to cry out to him and to be reconnected?

He is still ‘The I am! Not The I was or the will be, although He is that as well, but the ‘I am’. The ever present father and friend!

Meditate on Psalm 51, Luke 15:11-32