God, Break My Heart

"God, break my heart for the things that break Yours."

As I look back at that prayer written at the beginning of the summer, I am blown away at just how He answered it in a far more radical way than I ever dreamed. This prayer and God's answer have changed my whole world view, and how I must live. When my heart is aligned with His, my actions are too. God's heart is about reconciling all things whether things in heaven or things on earth to Himself (Col. 1). This is what my heart must be about. Very simply, this means that I must live redemptively. My major in college must redeem all things to God. My career after college must redeem all things to God. My conversations with all people must redeem all things to God. My discipline of my children (when/if I have them...haha) must redeem all things to God. Wow. That changes things.

Beyond seeing that aspect of God's heart, my heart was truly broken by His heart for the poor and the oppressed. I have always known that Jesus cared for the poor, but I didn't realize just how close they are to His heart and just how much it pains and angers him to see us disregard them. I cannot believe how much of the Bible is about loving the poor, the orphans, the widows, the strangers in a foreign land, the wanderers, etc.

Isaiah has so many verses in which God blasts the Israelites for their lack of concern for the poor. Specifically, Isaiah 58 really convicted me this summer. Essentially, the Israelites claim they are following God's laws of fasting, and they complain that God is not listening to their cries even though they are obeying him. But, God explains the fasting that he truly desires which is "to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke, to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter. When you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood." The Gospels are absolutely filled with accounts of Jesus hanging out the "least of these," but condemning the Pharisees for their pious hypocrisy and refusal to associate with people of low position. This summer we also looked at Luke 4 in which Jesus stands in the synagogue and opens to Isaiah 61 and reads from the scroll proclaiming that the Lord has anointed him "to preach good news to the poor...to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (See Lev. 25) Wow! If that is Christ's mission statement, how much more should that be ours if we claim to be his followers? And these two Scriptures don't even scratch the surface of how much the Lord desires His people to live out His love for the poor and the oppressed.

I saw just a glimpse of just how much our consumerism and selfishness and pride and entitlement and jealousy hurt God. Jesus said that they will know we are Christians by our love (John 13:35), but I have not had a love that is any different. I haven't had a love that does "nothing out of selfish amibition or vain conceit, but in humility considers others better than myself" (Phil. 2). I haven't had a love that sees the least of these brothers of mine and feeds them, clothes them, or visits them in prison. I haven't had a love that crosses the cultural and social boundaries of race and status like Jesus did with the woman at the well. I haven't had a love that chooses to drive a run-down car or wear old clothes in order to meet the needs of others. I haven't had a love that sells everything and gives to the poor (Luke 12:33). I haven't had a love that never judges or thinks evil thoughts of any child of His. I haven't had a love that obeys Jesus commands at all.

In fact, I have been more like "my sister Sodom" which was destroyed by fire in the Old Testament because "she and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me" (Ezekiel 16:49-50). I have been so consumed with what I have and with the necessity of getting my own needs met that I have not even turned to see if my neighbor's needs have been met. But, isn't that the second greatest command? To love my neighbor as myself? And didn't Jesus say not to worry about what I will eat or drink, but to seek first the kingdom and all these things will be added? Do I really believe that? Because I haven't lived like it.

But, now that I know the good I ought to do, I must do it. Christ calls me to the narrow way, and I must follow. He calls me to take up my cross daily and to die to my own desires. That is where life is more abundant. That is where I will receive 100 times more in this present life and in the life to come (Mark 10:30).

He has called. I can do nothing but follow. I am but a humble servant.