Psalm 31:9 Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea my soul and my belly.
When David is in trouble and consumed with grief, he pleads the Lord for mercy. He prays in faith, knowing that the Lord is merciful and He will show mercy. We are often in trouble, sometimes caused by our own sin, and at times eaten up with grief, caused by loss or threatened with loss of something. Such grief is ultimately brought about by our own sin and guilt and from the pervasive sin in the world. “The wages of sin is death.”
”But the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord [Romans 3:23].” Because of the Gospel of the death and resurrection of Christ, we know that God is merciful toward us. We can count on mercy. Therefore, we pray in Jesus’ name. In any time of trouble we pray: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Our response to trouble and grief is believing in the God of mercy. We may have no other recourse but to ask for and trust in mercy. And that is enough.