The Blinding Beauty of God

A Prayer of Gratitude for the Mercy of God

When I consider your unbridled mercy to the pagan city of Ninevah and to your prophet Jonah, who despised you for your compassion, how can I ever trust you NOT to be merciful, oh Lord?

Your mercy is balm to the hardest heart Lord God. It is pure and true.

Out of love, boundless and enduring, your mercy flows deep like a river.

There have been times when I have thought it dry and indifferent; the cry of “why have you forsaken me” rings out.

If only our memory’s weren’t so dull and our hearts like jaded stone; we would see your mercy at work in us, for us, around us.

But we look inward.

We take selfies and stand before the looking glass; not seeking what’s on the other side, but searching for our own beauty, grasping at what others see when they look at us.

Our eyes seek pleasure from what’s within, avoiding your gaze, refusing to acknowledge others’ needs, others’ hurts.

Who do we hurt?

We tell ourselves we’ll look outward when we’ve fixed that which is within… so, we are trapped.

For how will within be restored if we fail to look to you?

So I will fix my eyes on you. Your mercy has not failed me.

Although I see my failure when I look around, never is it reflected in your eyes.

Your eyes hold mercy; only the outpouring of your love is reflected in the depth of your eyes.

Lord I long for your mercy, pure and true. Your mercy is blinding, rich and deep…