Break my heart for what breaks yours

Something I have been praying for recently is for God to break my heart for the hurting people of the world. That might sound weird since I am doing an internship with a humanitarian aid organization, but that’s the thing. Even though I see the need and want to do something about it my heart is calloused towards the brokenness of our world. So I figured the best place to start is the scripture. When I began to search the Bible for verses about compassion and the poor I was surprised at what I found. Scripture is filled with verses about the poor and needy. Here are just a few:

“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.” Deuteronomy 15:11

“He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.” Psalm 72:4

I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.” Proverbs 13:23

But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.” Psalm 9:18

“Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD ; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 29:19

Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17

But this is my favorite:

“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.” 1 Samuel 2:8

What a picture of the Gospel!! After reading through these I realized that God is a rescuer. That is exactly what He has done for me, He came to me when I was broken (“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8) and He saved me! He is the Redeemer of mankind and every time we help someone who is in need He allows us to be a part of that. We are made in His image and we reflect that part of His character! This may seem kind of obvious but it was revolutionary for me!

So my prayer is that the Lord will fill my heart with compassion for the broken people around me so that I can reflect His character and love the people that He loves.

This video is simple but it is a great reminder of who God is and what He loves.