“Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate.” Proverbs 31:8 NASB
Early in my Christian life, I wanted to go into politics. One of my degrees is in political science. I really believed that the most powerful, and therefore, influential places to be was the US Senate. I have since learned otherwise. There is no shortage of groups in our communities and around the world who need a strong voice to contend on behalf of their cause: children, the hungry, the poor, and those caught up in sex trafficking, to name a few. I wondered how God could watch his children, of all ages, races, and circumstances suffer. I still struggle with that at times. Over time, I saw that the voices that made a difference spoke from and with the authority of their Creator. Philip Yancey has spoken brilliantly to these issues. “The point of the Book of Job is not suffering – where is God when it hurts? The point of the Book of Job is faith: where is Job when it hurts?” (Philip Yancey) And again, “Jesus’ response to suffering people and to ‘nobodies’ provides a glimpse into the heart of God. God is not the unmoved Absolute, but rather the Loving One who draws near.” And finally, from Yancey, “Power, no matter how well-intentioned, tends to cause suffering. Love, being vulnerable, absorbs it. In a point of convergence on a hill called Calvary, God renounced the one for the sake of the other.” There is a lot of pain in our world today and you don’t have to look far to find it. Today, reflect the heart and voice of your King, and, in love, absorb the pain. #BeTheEdge
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18