God’s Voice In A Hurting World
God’s Voice in a Hurting World
by Melanie Jones
A little boy steps barefoot into the dirt.
His feet are calloused and his clothing torn.
His eyes are deep and vibrant, like windows into his soul,
And his smile stretches across his face;
From ear to ear it exposes his yellowed teeth.
His heart is young and tender,
But it aches for the father he’s never known.
His stomach is empty,
But it no longer desires food.
His brain has been trained to hate,
But in its innocence, it loves.
The world says to this boy,
“You’ll never amount to anything.
You’ll never go to college.
You’ll repeat the mistakes of your parents before you.
You are a mistake, and you always will be.”
God’s heart is broken by the words of the world,
And He shouts back to them with Jesus’ words,
“Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them
For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.1”
And God embraces the boy,
Holds him in loving arms,
And whispers in his ear,
“I created your inmost being;
I knit you together in your mother’s womb.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made.2”
A young mother sits alone with her child.
Tears roll down her cheeks and into her lap.
She grasps an eviction notice in her right hand,
As she clutches her daughter close with her left.
She rocks back and forth and cries out,
“Where will we go? Where can we turn?
Who will take us in? Will this cycle ever end?”
The world looks at her with disgust, saying,
“We gave you a loan last year, and you never paid it back.
We can’t trust you anymore. You’ve made too many mistakes.
You are hopeless, and you’ll never get back on your feet!”
Jesus cringes as these words pierce his heart,
And He cries out to the world,
“Give to the one who asks you,
And do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.3”
“Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith
And to inherit the kingdom he promised to those who love him?4”
Jesus then turns to the woman and her child,
And wraps His arms around them.
He brushes the tears from the mother’s cheek,
And He whispers softly in their ears,
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God; trust also in me.5”
For “I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me will never go hungry,
And he who believes in me will never be thirsty.6”
A grown man stumbles over a seam in the pavement.
The smell of dried sweat and stale alcohol permeates his clothing.
He walks this street everyday.
It’s his home, the only way of life he knows.
His scars run deep into his soul.
The gashes sliced in his heart by childhood abuse
Lay buried under layers of alcohol.
They are not gone, but they are hidden.
The memories only surface at night while he sleeps.
They remind him not to trust, not to love.
They remind him that he is worthless and unworthy of love.
The world barely glsymes his way,
But when they do, they shout,
“We don’t help those who won’t help themselves.
Go get a job and stop crowding our street corners!
You are worthless, and we’re tired of looking at you.”
Jesus shakes His head with sadness and asks the world,
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye
And pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?7”
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
For the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly.8”
“Jesus looks at him and loves him,9”
And He strokes the man’s matted hair and pulls him close,
Whispering, “Blessed are you who are poor,
For yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
For you will be satisfied.10”
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
But to save the world through him.11”
A young man drives up to the Salvation Army.
He parks the car and with a strong grasp,
Flings two bags of old clothing over his shoulder.
With a steady and confident step,
He strolls over to the door marked “Donations,”
And with a smile on his face, he deposits the clothing inside the door.
As he walks away, he passes a homeless man sitting against the wall.
The young man shifts his eyes quickly to the sky,
And manages to avoid making eye contact with the man at his feet.
His steps quicken and he doesn’t dare look down.
The world smiles at this young man.
It praises him, saying,
“How kind of you to give to the poor.
You are so generous in your donations.
If only everyone were as caring as you,
Certainly our world would be a better place!”
God loves this man too,
But because He loves him, He wants to teach him.
He warns him, “If you give all you possess to the poor
And surrender your body to the flames,
But have not love, You gain nothing.12”
“Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position13”
For “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.14”
A man walks with confidence into a building.
He knows that he needs to focus; he needs to put on the charm,
But all he can think of is getting his next fix.
He looks quickly from side to side as he approaches the desk.
He knows that if he just lays it on thick enough,
These people will help him with “rent money.”
He doesn’t care that it’s all a lie.
He doesn’t care about the life he’s left behind.
His mind is controlled by drugs;
His heart by alcohol.
The world hates this man.
They scream at him in anger,
“You manipulate us. You hurt others by causing distrust.
We give you an inch and you take a mile.
You are the bad guy and you should be put in jail.”
But God’s grace is infinite and He loves without end.
He says to the world,
“If you hold anything against anyone, forgive him.15”
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.16”
God turns to the man and weeps for him.
He places his hand around the man’s and draws him close.
And He speaks sweetly to him,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
And I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
For I am gentle and humble in heart,
And you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.17”
A little girl sits alone on a playground.
Her hands are pressed firmly to her eyes,
As she tries to desperately to hold back her tears.
The racial slurs and words of hatred whirl around in her head.
They echo back and forth, back and forth,
As if they were being hurled at her over and over again.
She is confused and her brain fills with questions,
“Why do they hate me? What have I done?
Why won’t they accept my friendship?
Am I not worthy of their love?”
The world looks at this child,
And while it feels pity, it responds,
“Oh, it’s nothing against you.
We just want our kids to be happy and safe.
They could get into the wrong crowd if they start spending time with you.
It’s better for everyone if we all just stick with people like ourselves.”
God is disturbed by the attitude of the world.
He created them to love one another, regardless of their differences.
He raises His voice and declares to them,
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.18”
“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification,19”
And He speaks of Jesus,
“For he himself is our peace, who has made two one
And has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.20”
He turns to the little girl,
And He lifts her delicately into his arms.
He wants to ease her present pain
So He tells her of a time of great joy to come.
He explains to her,
“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count,
From every nation, tribe, people and language,
Standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.
They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
And they cried out in a loud voice:
‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb’21”
And God rejoiced with the little girl at this beautiful site.
A man and his wife step across the threshold of their new house.
The floorboards creak beneath their feet
And their shadows dsyme in the hallway before them.
They look at each other and smile.
They’ve come here from safety and comfort,
From the life they knew to a place so foreign and new.
They’ve moved into the city,
Into a place where drugs lurk around each corner,
Into a place where danger is ever-present.
They’ve come to love God.
They’ve come to love their neighbors.
They’ve come to the place where they were called.
The world stares at them in disbelief,
“Why would you ever move there?
Don’t you know what kind of neighborhood that is?
Don’t you realize the danger? Don’t you fear for your safety?”
God laughs at the world in its foolishness,
And He reminds them, saying,
“And we know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love him,
Who have been called according to his purpose.22”
He turns to the man and woman,
And He takes their hands in His own.
He looks deeply in their eyes and assures them,
“Do not be afraid, little flock,
For your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell your possessions and give to the poor.
Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out,
A treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted23”
For “The Word became flesh and blood
And moved into the neighborhood.24”
2Psalm 139:13-14 NIV (altered)