God Have Mercy (2 Samuel 20:3)

“And David came to his house at Jerusalem, and the king took the 10 concubines, whom he had left to care for the house, and put them in a house under guard, and provided for them, but did not go into them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood.”
– 2 Samuel 20:3

So there’s a lot of context around 2 Samuel 20:3 that we could talk about. But for the sake of time, I just want to read this verse and pray according to it, because it shows the cost of one person’s sin, namely David’s sin, extends far beyond them. And the conflict that happened in David’s house and in the kingdom during this time had an effect on so many different people, including these women in this story who are virtually abandoned until death.

As I read this, I immediately think about vulnerable women, vulnerable children, specifically in different parts of the world who are suffering right now, often times because of the sins of people and oftentimes men in power. I think about the effects of war and conflict that we see around the world. I think about the way I’ve seen children trafficked in different parts of the world. And 2 Samuel 20:3 brings all of that to mind and leads us to pray, God have mercy.

2 Samuel 20:3 Leads Us to Pray for Mercy

God, we pray right now for Your mercy toward the vulnerable, for Your mercy toward the enslaved, for Your mercy toward those who are impoverished specifically because of war and conflict and sin around them. God, we pray have mercy. And God, we pray for Your justice. We pray for Your justice ultimately to reign. And God we pray that as long as you give us life in this world, that You would help us to reflect Your mercy and to reflect Your justice. Help us to do exactly what Micah 6, says, to do justice, to love mercy, to walk humbly with You.

God, we pray that You would help us to bring Your mercy, the good news of Your grace and Your love to those who are enslaved, to those who have been trafficked, to those who are oppressed. To those who are hurting, God help us to be a picture of Your character and Your love. Help us not to put our heads in the sand, to turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to those in urgent need around us and far from us. God, we pray that You would help us as Your church to be a beacon of your love, to be light in the middle of darkness. help us. God, use our lives, each one of our lives to make Your mercy known in the world. To do justice according to Your word.

This Verse Leads Us to Pray the Urgent Needs of the World

All for the sake of others, they’re good. And all for the sake of Your glory, through Your provision in a world of urgent need around us. And in all of this, oh God we pray, Your kingdom come, Jesus come quickly. Bring Your mercy and Your justice fully and finally to reign on the earth. We pray for this. And we pray that You would use our lives faithfully to reflect You until that day. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

And even as I say, amen, and I don’t normally do this on this podcast, but just feel compelled to do this today. I would encourage you, if you are looking for outlets to be a part of making the mercy and the love of God known amidst urgent need in the world, urgent spiritual and physical need, I would encourage you to go to urgentneeds.org. This is part of what Radical does. It’s called urgent. Where we are getting behind gospel work on the front lines of the most urgent, spiritual and physical needs in the world.

So think places in the world where there is little to no access to the gospel. Think about those who are physically suffering in all kinds of ways. So how can we be a part of making the mercy of God known in those places. If the Lord so leads in response to this particular prayer today.