The first version of this song was written a couple of weeks after the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004. The Associate Vicar of the church I worked for at the time had delivered an excellent sermon on hanging on to faith in the midst of such suffering, then the Vicar turned to me and said 'And now we're going to sing' ... and I realised there was simply nothing appropriate in our repertoire. An early version of this song poured out of the frustration and confusion I felt at the time.
After refining a number of different versions of the song through the RESOUNDworship critiquing process, the central theme emerged of turning to God in prayer, even in the midst of the suffering and injustice we see every day, and asking God to help us be part of the answer to our own prayers in establishing His Kingdom here on earth.
When our songs (Have mercy Lord)
Matt 25:31-46; Luke 18:1-8; Rom 8:19-26;
When our songs of joyful celebration
are drowned out by the groans of those in need,
echoing creation,
that's waiting like a prisoner to be freed.
Father we cry out,
how long until the pain and suffering cease?
We pray that your kingdom
would fill this world with justice, love and peace.
Have mercy, Lord, on the earth you created;
have mercy, Lord, through us.
Still the lonely widow fights for justice
and orphans are exploited and oppressed.
Help us change our culture,
for we're not the only ones who should be blessed.
We must hear Jesus:
'When you show love to those who are in need,
and care for the captive,
it's just as though you do these things for me.’
Have mercy, Lord, on the earth you created;
have mercy, Lord, through us.
Father, change our hearts, take our hands, raise our voices;
may we demonstrate your love.
You've put your precious hope within us,
you've given us good news to tell.
So help us speak in words and actions,
and love our neighbours as ourselves.
Father, you have giv’n to us so freely,
now help us to be generous with our wealth.
All we have is yours, Lord -
how could we only use it for ourselves?
Give us compassion
for those who need the comfort we can bring,
the hungry and hopeless,
who wait for us to practise what we sing.
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