Weeping God

I heard the sound crack
reverberating through the heavens
until it rent the sky and split the earth in two

Then the rains came
a heart bleeding sorrow
that could no longer bear the weight of accumulated griefs

of those unable to care for themselves with no one to care for them
of the weak and needy, unable to defend themselves, violated and plundered
of those who weep in secret believing the worst of themselves
of the shed blood of innocents crying out from the earth for justice

And still the sky wept wounded

over wars and holocausts, unjust judgements and the abuse of power
over rapes and human trafficking, apathy and negligence
over abuse of the pulpit and abuse of position, abuse of the least of these under corrupt authority
over sins committed against love and sins committed in the name of love

And still it rained and it rained and it poured

in sympathy with those who grieve what is lost
in sympathy with those who mourn what has been stolen
in sympathy with those whose hearts are broken
in sympathy with those who ask questions and wait for answers

And still this aching flood

for a world in need of restoration
for an earth that groans for redemption
for a children who search in all the wrong places
for a vulnerable Heart that offers His love unreservedly everyday

I saw a poster for a missing child that was presumed caught in the sex trade
My heart dropped and I prayed
In the silence I could hear the heartbroken cry of a Shepherd seeking this lost one

The Question Is...

This world is filled with terrible, deliberate evil and unintentional tragedies, but this only serves to convince me even further of the goodness of God. Darkness only makes His love shine brighter.

When tragedy happens and the fragility of human life is exposed most people wonder, "Where is/was God?" I have come to believe that the question is not where is God, but where am I? Where are the people of God?

You see, I have always believed that we are the hands and feet of God on this earth. We are the only picture of God's face that most of the world will see. And it is easy to allow ourselves to become complacent with this belief and limit it's expression to actions. Sponsoring a child, digging a well, collecting food for a needy family etc. These are all great and valid expressions of God's love on earth. But let us not just limit ourselves to doing, let us also stretch ourselves to being. Let us become all that God declares that we are.

We are the children of God and it is to us that He has delegated His power and authority. When Jesus said, "greater things than Me you shall do" He wasn't throwing words around lightly, He meant it. When the power of God invaded the earth at Pentecost through the Holy Spirit, it wasn't just so we could have the Spirit as a teacher or the One who enables us to live like Christ. No, it was to empower us to be Christ on the earth. The same power that resurrected Christ from the dead lives IN US. We are the children of love who are the bridge that links Heaven to earth.

The problem is that we don't really know who our God is. We don't know who we are and worst we don't know who Christ within us is. If we did, we would be daily walking miracles much like Jesus was. We would be healing people in the grocery store, creating food for the homeless, casting out demons, standing against storms proclaiming "not in my town" and raising the dead. We would be walking in perfect love, spreading peace, bringing forgiveness and mercy. All these things may seem like doing, but in reality they only come out of being. They come from knowing who we are in Christ. Christ in us, the hope of glory is not a vaguely, beautifully worded promise. It's a declaration of identity and a statement of authority. The more we know our God and the more we die to self and allow Christ to live in us, the more we grow into the person God has made us and into the power and authority He has given us. So that we can be the mouthpiece of God that speaks light into darkness and all of hell will know, tremble and obey.

So today I want to ask. Where are the watchmen on the walls? Where are the guardians of the city gates? Where are the ambassadors of Heaven who will unite God's kingdom with earth? Who are those who will stand in the gap and declare, '"not on my watch!" Who are those who will fight on the frontlines and contend with the enemy for a victory that is already ours? Where are those who are just crazy enough to believe God's miracle power lives in them?  Because a weary, hopeless world waits in darkness for the light. They wait for the sons of God on earth.

Postmortem

We said I do
and meant it.

But we didn't know
about being broken
and with our jagged edges
we continually wounded each other
until our love bled out
and put us in grave danger.

We cried out for help
but were given the wrong treatment.
Fix the marriage, instead of
heal the people.

So the dangerous shards remained
and we kept tearing open old wounds
while also creating new ones,
shredding each other to ribbons
until forever finally died.