Hurting People

I was reminded last night after preaching at Fairfield Baptist Church in Cypress, TX how many people are hurting. They are all around me. In the last twenty-four hours I had contact with a lady facing anxiety as she goes into surgery today. I talked with a teary eyed mother broken over her children and their straying from the Lord. We took her burden to the Lord in prayer. I talked with numerous students who face difficulties at home. I talked with a burned out wife and mother burning the candle at both ends exhausted but dutifully pushing herself own.The hurts are real. The wounds in people emotionally are gaping.

Hurting people are all around us. It is so easy to get caught up in our own little worlds that we never even notice those suffering right beneath our noses. They are everywhere. There are people who are lonely in their grief and nobody seems to notice anymore. After the funeral there were days of hugs, prayers, visits, phone calls, and words of encouragement. The rest of us moved on. Not the grieving. They live with a hole in their heart every single moment of every day. It is an excruciatingly painful cycle they can move beyond. The private tears do not dry. How quickly the rest of us move on until we are the ones grieving and needing support.

How many parents suffer in the pews week after week with rebellious children. These parents have prayed, counseled, quoted and believed scripture but things are not getting any better. They suffer silently while other happy families surround them. No one seems to notice their private pain. So they bravely endure their nightmare alone.

What about those so heavy laden with cares they can barely get out of bed each morning. They will themselves through each day falling into bed exhausted each night and waking up with dread each morning. Does anyone notice. A word of comfort, a timely text, a phone call to pray, or an encouraging email would do more good than we know.

Jesus noticed hurting people. He saw the man with the withered hand. He saw beneath the surface of the demoniacs. He looked into the eyes of the woman caught in adultery and the woman at the well to see their spiritual need more than their sinful behavior. Jesus made time for the woman with the issue of blood and for Jairus and his daughter.

But when he saw the multitudes he was moved with compassion for them for they were distressed and scattered as sheep not having a shepherd. [Matt 9:36] Jesus saw people and he took the time to care. He took the time to notice. He took the time to minister to their hurts and needs.

How often do we go to church to keep the program? Do we truly notice the people around us in a small group class? What if the entire time were spent in prayer encouraging and bearing the burdens of those hurting in the class instead of the lesson being taught? What if the prescribed order of worship was altered as people moved about the sanctuary ministering to the hurting, the broken, the bruised, and the weary? What if in the next meeting you asked each person present how they are really doing and more time was spent in sharing and prayer than in the meeting?

We move so fast. Always rushing and oblivious to the hurting hearts all around us. Jesus did not just see the multitudes like I see people in a congregation on a Sunday morning. He saw individuals. He saw real hurts, raw wounds, sinful bondages, oppressed people, and broken hearts. He knew people were distressed. He saw past the superficial outward appearance. He saw into people's souls. He saw the depth of despair among those who were distressed.

Those hurting people are why I feel so called to be a pastor. I am often awakened early in the morning to pray for distressed and scattered people. I lift them to Jesus the true shepherd in prayer while seeking to be his under shepherd. Their burdens in some ways become my burdens. Their hurts are my hurts and their grief becomes my grief.

As you go through this day I challenge you to walk slowly through the crowds with a watchful eye. I challenge you to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's prompting to express love, to offer comfort, to give encouragement to the hurting people all around you. You never know when you will be on the other end and you will be the one hurting.

Some of you may say Matt, I am the one hurting and there is no one there for me. Nobody notices my hurting heart. That may be true but God notices. God noticed and moved me to write this today. While you are reading this God is ministering to your heart in reminding you he has not forgotten. Though I do not know how many will read this I notice. While I write this face after face crosses my mind each dealing with their own difficulties. Prayers are offered up on your behalf. Some specifically and others generally.

I wish I could be there for you. I wish I could sit and listen as you poured out your soul and anguish like water from a glass. I wish I could hold your hand as we petitioned the Father to intervene on your behalf. I wish I could offer a comforting hug, share a timely scripture to help you through the day. In the end I have two tools of ministry available to me right now. I have the power of writing. Through these words I can point you back to Jesus who knows everything, is always present, and powerful enough to help heal your hurting heart.

The second thing I can do is pray. That is what I want to do right now. Jesus, I lift up every hurting person reading this and those who may never read this. You see every heavy laden heart. You see those who grieve and feel the pain will never end. You are aware of those weary and worn down by life. You see those who have been betrayed and have bleeding hearts as a result. You notice those who are so discouraged they can barely find a reason to live. You behold those who are distressed. I plead with you make yourself real to each one. I ask you to comfort. I ask you to send people to minister to their hurting souls today. I ask you to prompt people to make a visit, to make a phone call, to send a text or email. I ask you to shepherd your hurting people through other people. I ask you to bring aid to those who need it the most today.

I lift up those who do not need ministry as much today as they are supposed to do the ministering. I ask you to guide our steps to those hurting hearts today. I ask you bring people to our minds, to burden our hearts with names and faces, and prompt us to the ways we are supposed to respond. I thank you for the ministry of comfort and encouragement. I pray it will abound through your people and this will be a day healing and victory for hurting people. In Jesus name, amen.