Consoling Jesus’ Heart
‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.’ (Matt. 26:38)
‘Sorry God’ has been the gist of my prayer life lately. Since the ‘gay marriage’ ruling, I have found myself asking God’s forgiveness for breaking His heart.
We take what is holy and twist it in our image. God made us in His image, and chose marriage to reveal His heart for all persons. We break His heart when we mess with His revelation.
Many superficial Christians I know applauded last month’s ruling. That breaks His heart even more–persons who identify with Him but do not know His heart for marriage and for the homosexually vulnerable. He wants to gather the weak into His arms, not seal their conflict in a mockery of marriage.
So I try to keep watch with Him in His sorrow. I must wait for Him. My sorrow is small and must be subsumed by His. Yet in His wounds I am free. Our battle is not with mere humans but with dark powers that deceive and deride. Holy grief protects our hearts and wages war on such powers.
Grieving with Jesus also consoles His heart. Bonnie West said just that as many of us prayed together for Jesus’ heart in light of the marriage ruling.
Let us weep over our superficiality and sin and a nation now more vulnerable to both. Let our tears bring us close to His heart, as to comfort it.
After the ruling, my friend Wayne Keiger-Rice said his beautiful wife Carol could not stop crying on Jesus’ behalf. She found the immovable place; she consoles Him in a marvelous unity of broken hearts.
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