Lord, Have Mercy

Are you experiencing a wilderness season, where daily, something comes lurching toward you, ready to attack? Are you attempting to go through a normal routine, but there is nothing normal about it? Nothing seems to be working out. Nothing is recognizable. The space is alien, and it seems inescapable. "Lord, Have Mercy" offers five straightforward, powerful prayers to God to help anyone going through a challenging moment in life– a wilderness season.

Are you experiencing a wilderness season, where daily, something comes lurching toward you, ready to attack? Are you attempting to go through a normal routine, but there is nothing normal about it? Nothing seems to be working out. Nothing is recognizable. The space is alien, and it seems inescapable. "Lord, Have Mercy" offers five straightforward, powerful prayers to God to help anyone going through a challenging moment in life– a wilderness season. Alvelyn Sanders-Swafford, an ordained minister, pastor, and award-winning filmmaker and writer, shares her personal story of a five-year wilderness season. During that time, prayer was all she had to sustain her. She provides five prayers to reaffirm yourself and remind you that difficult moments may come, but you can overcome them with God's help.

The Five Go-To Prayers

Prayer One   

Lord, please show me the way.

Prayer Two  

Lord, through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit,

please use people as instruments of Your will for my life.

Prayer Three   

Lord, please give me this day, my daily bread.

Prayer Four  

Lord, have mercy.

Prayer Five

Lord, thank you for your love, grace, and mercy.

Alvelyn Sanders-Swafford is an ordained minister, writer, and filmmaker. She serves as a pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church denomination. She is the writer, producer, and director of the independent, award-winning documentary, "Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964." As a writer and journalist, her work has appeared in Essence magazine and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper, among other publications. For many years, she served as a contributing reporter for Atlanta's National Public Radio (NPR) station, WABE 90.1FM. She received her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University, and graduate degrees from Clark Atlanta University and the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. She is a native of Atlanta, Georgia.