Prayers for Mercy: Lord Have Mercy On Me

This is a collection of prayers to ask for God's mercy, that we may be healed from iniquity. May these mercy prayers inspire repentance in your heart and mind to live in union with God.

Updated Mar 01, 2022
Prayers for Mercy: Lord Have Mercy On Me

Pray for God's mercy to cleanse you of the illness of sin. The deadly sins are not only immoral but corrupt our very being, causing eternal death. This is a collection of prayers to ask for God's mercy, that we may be healed from iniquity.

Prayers for mercy are not just about asking for God's forgiveness but also to help us overcome our fallen nature. May these mercy prayers inspire repentance in your heart and mind to live in union with God.

A Prayer for Mercy

“Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.” Lord, like David in Psalms 4, we cry out to you as our authority and the author of true mercy. Thank You for being a God of compassion and love. Life is hard enough without constantly being afraid of a God who’s out to get me.

 Help me see what you want me to see when You don’t lift the consequences of my actions. Help me to pay it forward to others when you do. Be that constant voice inside my head and the soothing arms around my heart. Mercy is a gift. Never let me forget to mirror to others the compassion You’ve shown me. ~ Source

The Jesus Prayer

The Jesus Prayer comes from the words of the tax collector: “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Luke 18:13 ~ "But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'"

Repentance Prayer

Dear God, I come to you as a sinner who is undeserving of your grace and presence. I repent all my sins and ask you to forgive me so that my request may be heard by you. Lord, have mercy on me and fill me with your grace. Wash me with the blood of your son Jesus Christ that I may shine and walk unashamed. I ask for your favor from this moment to the end of the day. I thank you, for you are faithful. Amen. ~ Source

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Psalm 4

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! 

O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him. Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah 

Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD. There are many who say, "Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!" You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

God's Mercy

Merciful Lord, it does not surprise me that you forget completely the sins of those who repent. I am not surprised that you remain faithful to those who hate and revile you. The mercy which pours forth from you fills the whole world. It was by your mercy that we were created, and by your mercy that you redeemed us by sending your Son. Your mercy is the light in which sinners find you and good people come back to you. Your mercy is everywhere, even in the depths of hell where you offer to forgive the tortured souls. Your justice is constantly tempered with mercy, so you refuse to punish us as we deserve. O mad Lover! It was not enough for you to take on our humanity; you had to die for us as well. - Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)

Lamentations 3:22-26

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

A Prayer To Be A Vessel Of Mercy

Heavenly Father, thank You that by Your Holy Spirit, You have bestowed on each of Your children different spiritual gifts, (or just one special gift..) and that by Your grace our gifts are to be used for the encouragement and edification of the whole body of Christ. Thank You, Lord, for the way that You have gifted each of us in a very special and precious way, enabling us, by Your grace, to make a unique contribution to the furtherance of Your plans and purposes in the body of Christ, that He is all in all. Father, You have given me a special heart of love toward my brothers and sisters in Christ, and although I am not gifted to teach, or to carry out some of the more overt gifts of the Spirit, I do wonder if You are developing in me the precious gift of encouragement, mercy, and love towards my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Lord, I pray that if You are taking me down this route, that You would use me as a sanctified vessel, that not only to pours out mercy and love without measure on other people, but that You would use me to encourage others to show the same mercy and forgiveness to their brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, and in the wider world beyond. Lord, I know that in and of myself I have nothing that commends me for this special ministry of mercy and edification, for I know that without Christ I can do nothing. But praise God that in Christ I can do all things, for He gives me the strength. May I be pliable clay in the Potter's hand and permit You to shape me into the person that You would have me be. Use me in Your way and in Your time to Your praise and glory. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen. ~ Source

Bless the Lord, O My Soul

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. ~ Psalm 103

Scriptures about Mercy

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. ~ Hebrews 4:16

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ~ 1 Peter 1:3

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ~ 1 John 1:9

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? ~ Micah 6:8

Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven ~ Luke 6:36-37

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. ~ Psalm 23:6

More Prayer Topics:

Healing Prayers for the Body, Mind, and Soul
Prayers for Protection from Evil and Physical Harm
Morning Prayers to Begin Each Day

Photo credit: Tinnakorn Jorruang

Christianity.com's editorial staff is a team of writers with a background in the Christian faith and writing experience. We work to create relevant, inspiring content for our audience and update timely articles as necessary.

This article is part of our prayer resources meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.

Prayers for Healing
Morning Prayers
Prayers for Family
Prayers for Surgery

Prayers for Strength
Night Prayers Before Bed
Prayers for Protection
The Lord's Prayer: Our Father


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