Have mercy upon us, O Lord. Have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt, of the proud.
– Psalm 123:3–4
Do you ever feel like you have had more than enough? Here in Psalm 123:3, it’s more than enough of contempt. The same word that’s used here is used in Nehemiah 4:4, to talk about the taunts, ridicule, and attacks that Nehemiah and others were enduring as they were trying to rebuild the walls, trying to do the work that God had called them to do. And the language here in Psalm 123:3 is, “Have mercy on us. Have mercy on us.”
Psalm 123:3–4 is the lament of a weary heart.
He repeats himself, “For we have had more than enough,” and maybe it’s contempt, or maybe it’s many other things in this world. Do you ever feel like you’ve had more than enough of fill in the blank, of challenges? Do you ever feel like you are weighed down with more than you can handle? And that’s what I love about Psalm 123 is the repetition, not just of this phrase, “I’ve had more than enough,” but of this phrase, “Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us.” Knowing that God’s mercy will always, always, always be sufficient for your needs, even when you feel like you have too much on you. More than enough.
That’s the beauty of 2 Corinthians 12, God’s grace will prove sufficient as we look to him, as we cry out for mercy. And I am just assuming that there are some who are listening to this right now who feel like you’ve had more than enough of something, and you long for relief. You long for help. And I have good news for you. The mercy of God is available right now to you, and his mercy will prove completely, utterly sufficient for you as you look to him and trust in him.
He will not give you enough mercy for tomorrow’s troubles. This is what Jesus says, but he guarantees you to give you enough mercy for today’s. So, God, we pray this to you. Have mercy upon us, O Lord. Have mercy upon any, each of us, all of us who feel like we’ve had more than enough, who are at the end of ourselves and feel like we’re beyond even the end of ourselves. God, we pray for your strength, your comfort, your wisdom, your help, your mercy, your provision, your peace, and every good thing that flows from your hand, O God, when we feel like we have had more than enough, we need your grace to be sufficient for us.
Psalm 123:3–4 challenges us to depend on God’s mercy.
And we trust that it will. We trust even in this moment, you’re telling us my grace is sufficient for you. God, I pray for every single person who’s walking through any kind of struggle where it feels like they’ve had more than enough. Lord, I pray they would hear you saying, “My mercy will be enough for you today and tomorrow and the next day and the next day, as you trust in me, as you look to me.”
God, we praise you for your promise that your mercy will always be more than enough for us. And God, we pray for people who don’t know you in this way, who don’t know your mercy in this way, amidst all the heavy burdens of this world who don’t have the hope and the joy and the peace that are found in relationship with you, Jesus.
God, we pray for people around us. Help us to encourage people around us today. God, give us sensitivity to encourage people who are struggling under the weight of more than they can handle. God, help us to be instruments of your mercy toward them.
Prayer for the Azeri People
And God, help us to be instruments of mercy in the world. God, today we pray for the Azeri people. 18 million of them spread out throughout Azerbaijan and Turkey, other places. God, we pray for Azeri men, women, and children to come to know your mercy in Jesus. Please, O God, we intercede. Show your mercy. Have mercy upon the Azeri Muslim people. We pray that they might know the truth and the love of Jesus.
In his name we pray all this according to your Word in Psalm 123, trusting that your mercy is more than enough for us. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
