Lord you hear the cry (Lord have mercy)

Lord, you hear the cry
of the widow weeping;
Lord, you hear the cry
of the child ill-treated;
Lord, you hear the cry
of the depressed one sinking;
Lord, have mercy on us,
Lord have mercy on us.

Lord, you hear the sound
of the proud ones laughing;
Lord, you hear the sound
of the childless hoping;
Lord, you hear the sound
of those in debt and struggling;
Lord, have mercy on us,
Lord have mercy on us.

Break the heavens, Lord,
you said the poor are not forgotten.
Let your justice roar
in mighty waves across the earth.
Come and whisper peace,
O God of generous compassion.
Lord, have mercy on us,
Lord, have mercy on us.

Lord, you hear the sound
of the addict craving;
Lord, you hear the sound
of the greed of nations;
Lord, you hear the sound
of the martyrs praying;
Lord, have mercy on us,
Lord, have mercy on us.

Lord, we hear the sound
of your kingdom coming;
Resurrection Day
for creation groaning.
Mercy I receive,
pouring out in loving;
Lord, have mercy on us
Lord, have mercy on us.

At the end of a creative writing session, I took a moment to reflect on the experiences I'd had in the weeks previously, the big headlines [and the not so popular ones] that had caught my attention in the news, the conversations where ongoing questions and disappointment, the weeping and struggle with illness, were being expressed by friends and family. It wasn't long before the prayer 'Lord have mercy' began to form in my prayers and in my initial improvisations around the song.

I would suggest 'Lord have mercy' could be used in any situation where the gathering needs to articulate a cry, a shout for justice [and mercy], God 'do something'...

...but the song is not simply an invocation or demand, but an expression, a cry that reminds us of God's nature, God's past promises;a cry that holds on to hope in what Resurrection Day has accomplished;a cry that is firmly rooted in the kingdom of God coming through us: 'mercy I receive pouring out in loving'.

In that sense it may straddle both 'Praise'/'God's faithfulness' themes as well as pressing into 'Intercession' and 'Confession'. As you can hear on the recording, 'Lord have mercy' could also act as a springboard for individuals to sing their own songs and prayers in the moment. Hope it is a useful addition to your sung worship vocabulary.