"Jesus wept"

Many of us will have read this verse from John (11:35) many times, and perhaps every time its brevity will have struck us. It is in fact the shortest verse in the Bible. Jesus is surrounded by a grieving family who have lost a recent relative and even though he knew that Lazarus would get up and walk out of the tomb in a spectacular miracle, the Son of God was still moved by the suffering and emotional turmoil of those who were there: "When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled."

When Jesus encountered a leper in Mark 1:41 he was "filled with compassion" or literally "moved in his bowels". The graphic imagery alludes to deep a deep emotional reaction in the gut.

Paul also speaks of his compassion and heartache for the lost amongst his own race, the Jews - "I speak the truth in Christ - I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit - I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers" (Romans 9:1-3).

I recently discovered that a close friend is suffering from depression, that another friend has recently had an operation on a brain tumour. There was a testimony at our last church homegroup meeting of someone who was dragged off Kingsgate bridge by the police after she had been about to commit suicide. A student from my church had managed to stall her by talking of God's love until the police arrived. All around us there is pain and suffering, hurt and darkness. These things are not clichés that do not exist in the "bubble" of Durham. Often beneath the surface of those who are even very close to us are serious issues that God desperately wants to change.

It's ok to have an emotional reaction to seeing pain in others' lives. It's even ok to weep as we pray for them. The question is, do we understand the depth of God's love and His desire to change situations and bring healing and salvation? Sometimes we need help to stand in the gap between God and man effectively. Sometimes we need to ask for God to show us how to pray, to break our hearts and to repent of the indifference we so often feel.

Dear Lord,

Forgive us when, seeing pain and suffering in Your world, amongst Your people, we do not share in Your compassion. Would You change our hearts that we too would join in the Holy Spirit to intercede with groans that words cannot express. Would we love as You love, feel as You feel, intercede as You intercede. That the light and love of Your Gospel would break into people's hearts and shine powerfully, transforming lives and making brokenness whole. As we see the coming of Your glorious kingdom, when there will be no more tears, and Your righteous judgement would our hearts cry out for mercy and grace.

Amen