Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered,
And let those who hate Him flee before Him.
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish before God.
But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God;
Yes, let them rejoice with gladness. Psalm 68:1-3, NASB
After yesterday, after the unpleasant discovery that I had given over three or four good hours to … nothingness … I did get up from here, from my desk, and went away to spend what time I could with the Lord.
It was already late afternoon, and I hadn’t more than an hour or so at hand, but I was glad to have it and glad to spend it; I was glad for that personal and graphic reminder that, for most of us, we CAN if we WILL. At least, for me.
Caring deeply is another matter in many ways; you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. You can, however, as a dear friend once taught me and has since reminded me, you can salt his oats. That’s what happens when we bring ourselves before God and come with the needs of those we love; when we decide to care. The tribulation, the despair, the unbelief, the woundedness of those given into our spiritual keeping is, as we have seen and said, like waters over our head, and yet there has been a drought of tears.
We aren’t trying to cry, we are here to care as deeply as we can, even to tears.
In the Presence of the Lord, if we will come, if we will stay, if we are willing to bear the burden He places upon us, we will weep His tears when they need to flow and drop into the earth. When the groanings He groans by the Holy Spirit need a voice on this planet, in His Presence we will moan in agony if we must, but, let us be assured …
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalm 126:6, KJV
Ever wonder, “Who goes forth weeping when it’s time to plant fields? Maybe someone with no seed to plant, but the one with a bag full of precious seed, and it would be precious if it were next year’s harvest and food for the table, why does he weep? It is Spring, it is time to be glad and be full of hope!” Good seed planted will yield a harvest, and good seed is costly, as are good tears. We weep for those whose tears have ceased to flow.
O God, when You went forth before Your people,
When You marched through the wilderness, Selah.
The earth quaked;
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
You shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God;
You confirmed Your inheritance when it was parched.
Your creatures settled in it;
You provided in Your goodness for the poor, O God.
Still Psalm 68, (verses 7-10, NASB)! Our God provides in His goodness for the poor, and most assuredly for the oppressed, the downtrodden, those in prison, those sick and destitute and naked and wounded and forgotten. We visit them, we feed and clothe them … and we pray, even unto tears if the Lord drops them down, until they are able to stand and rejoice with us, and settle into the goodness God has provided.
We said a few days ago that it is all too easy to slip into a place where the enormity of the need can become for us an excuse not to pray, not to care, and certainly not to care until it hurts. Too many poor, and as Jesus said, we will always have them with us, all too deeply wounded … the waters have gone over our heads!
We worship Jesus, and we bring the poor and the spiritually wounded before Him, for He is their help, as He is ours. Consider, and choose one D.L.F. (Desperate Little Friend,) someone for whom no one else might be weeping, and pray with me today …
Answer me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good (I bring with me my dear and wounded friend;)
According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me, (turn to them,) And do not hide Your face from Your servant (for I care about those You love, just as You care about me,)
For I am in (They are in deepest distress); answer me quickly.
Oh draw near to my soul (and to theirs) and redeem (us);
Ransom (them as you have ransomed) me because of (our) enemies!
You know my (their) reproach and my (their) shame and my (their) dishonor, (and it grieves as if it were my own;)
All my (their) adversaries are [l]before You.
(Their) reproach has broken my heart, and I am so sick (at heart for their sake.)
(They) looked for sympathy, but there was none,
And for comforters, but I (they) found none.
(But here am I, Lord, and I care, and I will pray for them with You and watch for Your deliverance, Your mercy, and Your strong help on their behalf.)
Oh God, arise, let Your enemies be scattered, let those that hate You and hate my friend flee before You! Drive them away, that we may exult and rejoice together before You!
Psalm 69:16-20, and Psalm 68:1-3, NASB
If we keep caring like this, we will water the earth, and perhaps the Lord’s feet, with our tears.
Starving Ebensee prisoners, Ebensee Concentration Camp, Austria, liberated by U.S. 80th Division
Photo taken May 7, 1945 by Lt. Arnold Samuelson
As a work of the U.S. Federal Government, the work is in the public domain.
Marketplace Monastics 