Lord have mercy!

[bigee]

Please set me right. On a regular basis, probably three or four times a day I might use the phrase “Lord have mercy”. It just comes out at the appropriate times. Well I work with an Evangelical fellow that seems to think I am breaking one of the ten commandments when I say this. In a way he is my boss. What do you folks have to say about this. Any defense of my position would really be appreciated.

 

[LittleRose]

If you are actually saying this to God, that’s fine.

If it’s an abbreviated form of “May the Lord have mercy…” I imagine that would be fine too.

 

[kleary]

Please set me right. On a regular basis, probably three or four times a day I might use the phrase “Lord have mercy”. It just comes out at the appropriate times. Well I work with an Evangelical fellow that seems to think I am breaking one of the ten commandments when I say this. In a way he is my boss. What do you folks have to say about this. Any defense of my position would really be appreciated.

I am a dealer in Atlantic City, NJ. You do not know how many times I hear people say “Jesus” over and over again when I pull 21 and beat them. I ad silently to that “have mercy on us.”

It is they who are taking the name of God in vain and breaking the commandment not to take THE NAME of God in vain and His Name is JESUS.

“Lord” is a title given to Him, but not His Name.

Ken

 

[Liberian]

Bigee,

Little Rose has answered well. If you are calling on the Lord to have mercy in a particular situation, you are not breaking any of the Ten Commandments.

• Liberian

 

[bigee]

Well, thanks for the thoughts. I guess I am going to try harder to stop saying things like “God help us” “God help me” “Dear Lord” “Lord have mercy” but then I think, if it is ok to silently pray to God in this way, which I do very frequently, why is it not Ok to say it out loud or among other people or whatever? This is a problem for me and I need more help!