When We Weep, God Works
OPENING PRAYER:
Father, I come to You today a little tired, maybe a little distracted. Meet me anyway. Give me a heart that's soft and ready as I pray for my One. Amen.
“But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. ‘How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes.’” —Luke 19:41-42
“With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.” —Romans 9:1-3
REFLECT:
When was the last time you cried—really cried—for someone far from God? Not out of guilt, but out of love? As Jesus crested the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem spread before Him—and instead of admiring the city's beauty, He stopped and wept. Heaving, audible sobs that startled His disciples. The omnipotent Creator of galaxies weeps over human lostness.
The apostle Paul developed the same heart: "My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people… I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them." (Romans 9:1-3) These weren't dramatic words. This was real, gutting compassion for those who didn't know God.
When was the last time you cried over someone's spiritual condition? Many of us have developed compassion fatigue—emotional numbness from prolonged exposure to a broken world without the power to make significant change. We hear statistics about the lost and feel nothing.
We can't manufacture emotion, but we can ask God to break our hearts for what breaks His. We can position ourselves to see people as God sees them. Pray with imagination—picture specific individuals, imagine their daily struggles, their fears and hopes. Consider what their life without Christ means eternally.
The tears of people like Paul and David Brainerd watered the ground where great awakenings sprang up. Ours can too. Begin with this prayer: "God, help me feel a fraction of what You feel for the people I know who are far from You."
APPLY:
PRAY FOR YOUR ONE
- 1. Ask God to break your heart—even just a little—for your One. Pray that you would feel something of His love for them.
- 2. Spend a few minutes simply bringing your One before God by name. Picture them. Pray with imagination for what their life could look like if they encountered Jesus.
- 3. Ask God to remove any numbness, distraction, or indifference that prevents you from feeling urgency for your One.
I WILL STATEMENT:
I will pray share my life with my one.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours. Help me feel, not just know, the weight of someone being far from You.
Keep me from numbness and give me a heart that stays soft toward the people You love. In Jesus' name, amen.
PRAYER REQUEST:
Share your prayer request and pray for others.
CONTINUED READING:
Join the 6:00 AM Prayer Call
Every weekday morning, Monday through Friday at 6:00 AM, our Pathway Family is gathering on a video call, wherever we are, to pray for our "Ones" together. You don't have to be a morning person or a prayer expert. Just show up.
Text PRAYER to 316-444-4180 to get connected. You'll get a reminder each morning with the link to join.