Every August, the FMSC Board of Directors sets aside one day to fast and pray together. Prayer is always at the core of our work, but this day is an intentional break in our day-to-day rhythm. We refocus, recommit and refuel in God’s presence. This year’s FMSC Day of Prayer and Fasting is August 24 with the theme “Loving Mercy.” We invite all FMSC supporters to join us in spirit.

Pastor Dean Nadasdy, a member of FMSC’s Board of Directors, offers a short scriptural guide for those participating in this year’s Day of Prayer and Fasting.

Mercy at the center of the Gospel

In the New Testament, the standard word for mercy in Greek — eleos — carries the idea of an unrelenting kindness or goodwill toward the weak and afflicted, joined with a desire and action to relieve them, even though they may not deserve it.

The word is used in this way both of God in relationship with humanity and of humans in relationship with one another. Mercy runs from the heart of God’s character and so also from the character of God’s people.

Mercy in the Bible is an emotional and active caring for those unable to care for themselves. It is a kindness extended beyond a concern of worthiness, justice or compensation. For Christians, God’s mercy is at the very center of the Gospel.

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. . .”  — Titus 3:4–6

Feed My Starving Children is an arm of God’s mission to show mercy — a ministry of mercy to those hungry in both body and spirit.

12 verses to guide your mercy-focused prayer

Each of the 12 Scripture passages below focuses on mercy. A question for meditation follows each passage. You may choose to use the passages one at a time throughout the day, perhaps hourly, or all at once, or whatever works for you.

Here are twelve passages on mercy, offered for your meditation and prayer during the Day of Fasting and Prayer:

1. “Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.” — Psalm 25:6

   Where in my life story have I especially experienced the mercy of God?

2. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” — Psalm 51:1

   For what moral failures do I ask God for mercy today?

3. “Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.” — Psalm 119:77

   How is my life today enriched by God’s mercy, especially in God’s Word?

4. “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end.” —Lamentations 3:22

   How steady and consistent in my own life are the emotion and the action of showing mercy?

5. “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” — Micah 6:8
   

   How deeply do I love showing mercy to others?

6. “[Jesus said,] ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.’” — Matthew 5:7
   

   What mercies of God have I received as I show mercy toward the hungry?

7. “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy.” — Luke 1:53-54
   

   How will I respond to God for remembering His mercy toward His hungry children?

8. “[Jesus said,) ‘Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You go, and do likewise.’” — Luke 10:37
   

   What specifically do Jesus’ words, “You go, and do likewise,” mean for me?

9. “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” — Romans 12:6–8

   How cheerful am I in my acts of mercy on behalf of the hungry?

10. “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
    

    How confident am I that God’s mercy will always be there for me and for the hungry?

11. “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” — James 2:13
    

    Where have I seen this precept at work in my life?   

12. “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” — James 3:17
    

    In what ways is showing mercy a sign of wisdom?