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Unceasing Anguish?

December 23, 2010

***Do you ever have one of those mornings, where you open your Bible to the allotted scripture that the reading guide has laid out for you and read it over 3 or 4 times and then think to yourself…“Yeah I’ve got nothin….”? That was this morning for me. HOWEVER…there has been something churning in my head all day…and so I thought I would share my reflections on that instead…hope thats alright. B.

Romans 9:1–3

I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.

Do you ever read a passage of scripture and then think to yourself “that MUST be some kind of exaggeration?” Earlier today I listened to a sermon by a man named Francis Chan and he asked that same question. Isn’t he exaggerating?

I mean really…

COULD I SAY THAT??

Is my heart broken with so much love…so much LOVE for the people around me…that I could honestly say

I WOULD RATHER BE CUT OFF FROM JESUS MYSELF….SO THAT YOU COULD KNOW HIM!!

I don’t think i could say it.

I don’t think my heart is broken for those I interact with….I mean I’m concerned…I may even be slightly bothered by certain lifestyle choices they may make…

But am I ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED IN MY HEART BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH I LOVE THEM?

Am I on my KNEES before God PLEADING WITH HIM to draw them to Himself?

When I think about my mother…who as far as I know died without knowing the Lord….

Why doesn’t that wreck me?

Why doesn’t that motivate me to make sure that NO OTHER MEMBER OF MY FAMILY…would have to experience the same?

Why am I not broken for people?

Why don’t I LOVE THEM?

Why don’t I have “sorrow and unceasing anguish” for the plight of their souls?

Oh God…have mercy on my heart. It’s cold and calloused. I have grown comfortable with suffering. I have come to peace with those who are lost…staying lost.

God would you wreck my heart again.

Break me for the plight of those around me.

Help me to love.

Help your CHURCH TO LOVE.

Help your saints to have tear-filled eyes again.

Help us to look around at the world…and in sheer desperation fall on our knees before you…and beg for their hearts.

May our salvation no longer a source of pride…providing nothing more than security and sense of superiority….

God we have forsaken love and mercy…in favor of comfort and mediocrity.

Jesus I’m begging you…

Break our hearts.

Help me understand unceasing anguish…

B.

For those of you who read this…please…pray for those in your world. Right now.

I have listened to this song about 25 times today….

I pray that it would do the same thing in your heart that it has done in mine…listen to the words…they are devastating.

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