War! Earthquake! Death! Poverty! Disease! Disappointment! Flood! Fire! These and more have caused human beings to cry rivers of tears. Early this morning, as I was praying, my body was shaken with sobs. To be sure, some of my tears were for my own situation. My pending surgery has my emotions in turmoil. However, I was also weeping for a newly widowed woman in my congregation, for my Mom’s loneliness, for my friend’s new struggle with cancer, for the people of Haiti and Afghanistan, for my neighbors. It was beyond sadness. I was feeling what old-timers in the Pentecostal church call a ‘burden for souls.’ I believe that God was pressing me to pray and to renew my love for the lost, the broken, those who have no hope.
"Jerry, why emphasize the sorrow? Why not look on the bright side?" Yes, there is joy to be found. Bev and I were greatly blessed with a new granddaughter on Monday. Little Adelina entered this world whole and healthy! We’re thrilled by that. We have many wonderful friends and our hearts are made glad by being with those we love. We experience wonderful times of worship with God's people. We are unbelievably blessed!
But, we live in a world enslaved by evil, pressed by the Curse of sin, in darkness. In my blessings, I cannot ignore those who suffer. I cannot, despite my overflowing cup of privilege, pretend that all is well. I am commissioned as an agent of the Savior, sent with a message hope and healing to those who are captives of the Evil One. His work is my work. Like Him, I want to let my heart be broken by the human need that is real. As the burden presses on me, I will not fall under despair. I will go to the One who gives me this invitation - "Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:29-30, The Message) “Freely and lightly’ should not be understood to mean without sorrow or hard work! Jesus was Himself a man well acquainted with the sorrows of humanity, but He was renewed by His Father as He engaged in the work. So we can know the daily infusion of the Spirit’s hope and strength, IF we turn to Him and stand with Him in the yoke of service.
It may appear that sharing the Good News of Christ is like shouting down a dark alley with no visible results. Trying to help someone find a better life may not change the whole world, but it changes one life! Some may think that this mission of compassion is a fool's errand, that the tide of human suffering is irresistible. But I know the One who has overcome the world! I have read the end of the Book, and I know that in the end He will vanquish evil, wipe away the tears, and invite us into the Kingdom of Light and Love. I want to be about the work of building that Kingdom now even as I wait to see it arrive in the fullness promised in the Word.
Join me, friend, won't you? Let's look evil straight in the eye, engage ourselves with those who suffer, even when it makes us weep! Let’s do the work of Jesus while there is opportunity. All the while, we can be sustained by this wonderful promise. ". . . they stand in front of God's throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes." (Revelation 7:15-17, NLT)
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Jesus! What a friend for sinners!
Jesus lover of my soul!
Friends may fail me, foes assail me;
He, my Savior, makes me whole.
Hallelujah what a Savior.
Hallelujah what a Friend.
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
Jesus! What a strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him;
Tempted tried and sometimes failing,
He, my strength my victory wins.
Jesus! What a help in sorrow!
While the billows o'er me roll,
Even when my heart is breaking,
He, my Comfort helps my soul.
Hallelujah what a Savior.
Hallelujah what a Friend.
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
Our Great Savior- J. Wilbur Chapman C Public Domain
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