The Jesus Prayer
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.”
Forms of the Jesus Prayer have been around since the 4th century. Over the past 17 centuries the prayer has been prayed by Orthodox, Catholic and even Protestant Christians searching after God in their daily lives. It embodies two central tenants of Christianity – Jesus Christ, the son of God who walked among flesh, and mercy, the gift of Jesus that brings man back into relationship with God.
No statement is understood if the terms themselves are not understood in the context and heart in which they were written. The Jesus Prayer can be broken down into 3 parts: Jesus, mercy, and the sinner (me).
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
The living, eternal Son, full of mercy and grace. At his name every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. This description of Jesus recognizes the Trinity, as The Orthodox Way states, “For, by speaking of Jesus as ‘Son of God’, we point towards his Father; and the Spirit is also embraced in our prayer, since ‘no one can say Lord Jesus, except in the Holy Spirit’ (1 Corinth 12:3).” This is the Son of the Father, the Father who is love, and the Son Himself is love as well for they share the same nature. To speak the name of Jesus is to have his presence, his being and his nature upon our lips. Nothing can stand in defiance before that name, as we speak it our hearts bow down.
have mercy
Do not remember my sins oh Lord. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Every day I need mercy, every day I act selfishly, and selfish acts turn me from my Father back to the sin that once entangled me. Lord Jesus, in gentle power, turn me back to gaze upon you once again.
on me, the sinner.
I suppose I could call myself a sinner and a saint, or a sinner-saint. At times I only see my sin, yet I am both saved and still being saved from sin by Christ. I do not mean to suggest that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was not enough to make me righteous before God, it was more than enough. But as Paul states in 1 Corinth 13 “Now we see but a poor reflection, as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am (already) fully known.” We are moving from glory to glory, and each movement brings us closer to God, if it is indeed a true movement of the Holy Spirit and not striving by me, the sinner. With each movement, I need mercy, that I might be bold to press in and not lose courage and stumble.
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Every hour I need thee Lord. For I deeply desire to be closer to you, unified with you and more like you. Not to become like you on my own accord, for that was the error of the devil, but like you as a son imitates his father.
Have mercy on me Lord, when I am fearful of tomorrow. I cannot change a single hair on my head from black to white, yet I still try to guide my own future in vain.
Have mercy on me Lord, when I do not trust the people you have blessed me with. They are made in your image, and carry your heart, even your very presence. They are sons and they are daughters, you pursue every one of us as if we were your only child.
Have mercy on me when I silence the words of encouragement You give me out of fear of rejection.
Have mercy on me brothers, when I hang my head in shame. When I live in shame I deny Christ’s redemption and put Him back upon the cross to suffer a second time.
Have mercy on me sisters, when I do not walk as one healed. The God that created the Heavens has healed me, and continues to heal me. The only reason He does this is to bring me closer to Him.
Have mercy on me when I am of weaker conscience. Have mercy on me when I fall and curse, doubt and lie. Have mercy on me when I am angry, when I am prideful, and when I reject. For I am the weakest of flesh, the chief of sinners. Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.
Good reads and my sources:
The Cost of Discipleship – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The Orthodox Way – Kallistos Ware
Mere Christianity – C. S. Lewis
Church Dogmatics – Karl Barth (no, not the 10 volume set)
Richard of St. Victor – On the Trinity (best book on the Trinity)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Prayer (yeah I just cited wikipedia)
Orthodox view of Salvation – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WosgwLekgn8
Die Bibel
Cycles of Newness 
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