A world that does not make sense, and a better way - 4 June 2024

Would it not have been wonderful if the only tears cried in this world, were tears of joy. When our hearts burst with feel-good emotions, too great to hold it all in.

But, sadly, many tears of heartache and desperation are shed in this world at the moment. I am deeply affected by the effect of so much hatred and war across the world. It breaks my heart to see how people are being killed, and how buildings and people’s homes are being destroyed.

My heart aches for every mother who weeps over the loss of her child. There is such a cruel cycle of hatred, enmity and anger begetting even more of it. We gather under man-made banners, set up camp, and attack those people who do not think or act like us assembled under our flag.

This beatitude of Christ addresses more than the ordinary pain of human existence. Naturally, the Lord has so much compassion for us when we suffer loss, when we mourn loved ones far away, or those going through a time of crisis. He is our good Shepherd who leads us, even through the valley of the shadow of death. (Psalm23:4)

But the mourning referred to here is even greater than personal loss. It is when we become aware of a world in need, a world trapped in darkness, where people attack and hurt each other. This was not the original plan that God had when he created humankind. We mourn a world that has lost its way – a world on a course of self-destruction. In our spirit, we know – it does not have to be like this!

Our mourning and our tears drive us in prayer to the throne of God. We pray for his intervention; we pray for a miracle for this world. Sometimes, like the Old Testament prophets, we pray, “How long must I see the battle standard and hear the sound of the trumpet?” (Jeremiah 4:21) We want to cry out with the psalmist, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me for ever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?” (Psalm 13:1-2)

We mourn a world on a destructive path. We mourn our own losses along the journey of life, and we seek God in prayer. The promise that Jesus gives us is that God hears us. We will experience the comfort that only God can bring to a troubled heart. I know that it is challenging to wait on the Lord in prayer. We do not always see immediate results, or easy outcomes when we pray. But we are called to persevere in prayer, to keep on praying, seeking, knocking on heaven’s door (Matthew 7:7). Jesus promises comfort.

Prayer: Lord, with the prophets and the poets of the Old Testament, I lament, “How long, Lord?” How long will this world continue on the path of hatred and war? Why is there so much suffering in this world, Lord? We bring our troubled hearts to you in prayer. We need to find peace at your feet. We long for your intervention in this world; and may the world be healed by your love. Amen