Lord Have Mercy

TLDR; brand new single "Lord Have Mercy" is now out wherever you stream music, including this lyric video!

I know what you're thinking...

It feels almost ironic releasing a song called “Lord Have Mercy” on April Fool’s Day, a day built around tricks and half-truths! And this year, it also falls on Holy Wednesday—the day church tradition remembers Judas quietly plotting his betrayal of Jesus.

A day of jokes.

A day of betrayal.

And in the middle of it, a prayer the church has been praying for centuries.

But maybe this is precisely what we most need.

This song has been quietly taking shape over the last few months. I wrote it with my friend Susan Goforth, and from the beginning it felt less like creating something new and more like uncovering something ancient—a cry that spans language, culture, and age. A confession that belongs to all of us.

And fittingly, I couldn’t sing it alone.

No... literally. Between Flu B, pneumonia, and a lingering upper respiratory infection, my voice simply wouldn’t cooperate. But what felt like a limitation became part of the story. I had to lean on others. And what happens in the final verse and chorus remains one of my favorite moments on any track I’ve ever been part of, featuring:

• A 14-year-old girl

• Her mom

• My son

• An indigenous church planter in Nepal

• A Taiwanese songwriter, adding both English AND Mandarin

• My cousin in Lebanon, layering a descant in Arabic

A tapestry of voices, rising across generations, languages, and continents.

The heart behind the production is simple:

Confession is global.

Confession is multigenerational.

Confession (and mercy) is for all.

“Lord Have Mercy” is out wherever you stream music.

Huge thanks to Susan Goforth for the lyrics, Keiko Ying for cello, Grace Assad for lead vocals, Jered McKenna for mixing and co-producing with me, Drew Elliot for mastering, and to every voice that carried what I couldn’t. I am beyond grateful.

In a world of half-truths and hidden motives, may we choose honest confession.

Not silver.

Not secrecy.

But surrender.

Lyrics below. Chords available here. Official lyric video here.

Lord Have Mercy (CCLI 7275692)

Susan Goforth, Peter Assad

Verse 1

For all the times I lied

Have mercy

Was deaf to those who cried 

Have mercy

For every careless word

For when my back was turned

For kindness unreturned

Have mercy

Verse 2

For every angry deed

Have mercy

And every act of greed

Have mercy

For loss of self-control

For every selfish goal

When loved ones pay the toll

Have mercy

Chorus

Lord have mercy

Christ have mercy

Lord have mercy on me

(2x)

Verse 3

When faith is pushed aside

Have mercy

Afraid You won’t provide

Have mercy

When I have walked away

Not heeded what You say

And trusted my own way

Have mercy

Chorus

Lord have mercy

Christ have mercy

Lord have mercy on me

(2x)

Bridge/Outro

Grant us grace

Grant us peace