Big numbers, little numbers
I’ve been reading about Burma/Myanmar and I have realised that I find it very very difficult to have compassion for large numbers who are distant. Charities clearly realised this years ago, as much of the leafleting is now around individual stories of lives changed, or a life in crisis. We need to think globally, and large scale, as we plan and prepare - after all, Paul was strategic, and saw God working in thousands at once in Acts. But isn’t it true that we find it easier to be compassionate when we have a relationship to start with, when we can see the person physically, or even to make disciples? We need to be incarnational in these areas, not just temporarily either. I really want to have a heart for large numbers, to share in God’s compassion for the needy around the world. Maybe the trip to India this summer will work a change in my heart.
There’s a song around at the moment called “Hosanna”. It’s by Hillsong United. I’ll come back to the lyrics in a second but let me talk about worship. It’s a word that I find so applicable, but also so frustrating. When we narrow it to meaning singing, we take a massively reductionist approach. Does it matter? Absolutely.
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. (source biblegateway.com, NIV)
If we contain it to singing, we say to everything else we do (work, giving, praying, compassion, loving, sabbath-ing) that that is not worship, that is secondary. We can worship in EVERYTHING we do, and we need to treat the word accordingly, or we demean others. But sometimes, just sometimes, I can see where people are coming from on this. I’ve heard some great music this weekend, and some of I just want to share.
- Eddie Kirkland’s album Orthodoxy is excellent
- The lyrics of the song Hosanna just ring so true.
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart for what is yours
Everything I am for your kingdom’s cause
As I walk from earth into eternity
We used to sing “purify my heart”, and that’s still our song. But it’s also break my heart for what breaks yours. What could be better than having God’s heart, whether for big numbers or for little numbers?
- How have you personally responded to Myanmar?
- Are you praying that God will break your heart for what breaks His?
Filed under: church, missional | Tagged: compassion, Cyclone, Hosanna, Myanmar, Prayer, Worship
There have been so many natural disasters in the last wee while it’s been hard to keep track of the human cost. I always find it difficult to picture what people in those circumstances are living through. Some years ago, following some trips to Romania with an aid and development charity, there was one particularly bad winter when the area we had visited was severely flooded and there was (on a much smaller scale than Burma) fairly widespread devastation, wrecking people’s homes and spreading misery. That seemed very real to me as I could picture some of the places and people affected, and through our contacts heard stories of how people were affected.
I now always try to consciously imagine myself into the situation, imagine it was my street, my city, my family. That helps to personalise - humanise - the disaster site. All that said, I’ve yet to give financially to the more recent events. One of the charities our family already supports sent us a special appeal letter the other day and I should do something more than just imagine what those people are going through. Empathy alone isn’t going to save anyone’s life, and I think God’s heart will be doubly broken if that were the case. Broken for the people of Myanmar, and now China, and broken by the apathy and lack of commitment to action from those who can. To pray for a broken heart is a hard prayer, but I think you’re right. It’s what we sometimes need to do.
Thanks Vicky