“Heart of Mercy”“I follow you. You have made a way to mend this broken heart.”
What does it mean that God’s heart is mercy? What does that look like?
These were the questions that inspired John Finch’s brand-new single, “Heart of Mercy.” Finch worked together with Rita West on a high school youth event with the theme “Into the Heart of Mercy,” and after the event was over the theme persisted in their thoughts and continually tugged at their hearts.
Finch approached West about writing a song, and a few days later, sitting around his keyboard with bibles in hand, they began to pray about the nature of God’s heart of mercy.
“Deep in the heart of every human being lies a longing for safety — a place where, regardless of our successes or failures, we know that we are loved,” says the songwriter. What is this heart of mercy? “It’s a harbor – a safe place, a refuge to rest in. It’s a Father — who leaves his glory, who seeks out the lost. And what is our response to this heart that pours out mercy? We run toward the invitation and follow it through the end of our days.”
The music video, released today, is an acoustic version of the song. It’s a powerful visual of God’s mercy: their hymn floods the ruins of an old church, filling it with life and grace. “God’s mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones. … Let us be renewed by God’s mercy, let us be loved by Jesus, let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives” (Pope Francis, Easter Message, 2013).
“Heart of Mercy” is available for purchase on iTunes.
Libby Reichert
