A Tender Heart

Day two hundred eighty-seven

I am off to work this morning so I am up early fiishing my blog before I leave.  I prayed with gratitude for the blessings of the scriptures in my life.  I don't know how I conquered life's problems without really studying them before. I am so thankful for the direction they give me and my family.  I asked that the Spirit might be with me today in all that I do.  That I might make a positive difference in the lives of those I come in contact with today and that they may see the Lord's love for them in my actions and words.

2 Kings 8

Why Weepeth my Lord? (v 11-12)

When Elisha stared deeply into the eyes of Hazael, reading his soul, seeing his future, he began to weep. He wept because the Lord had allowed Elisha to see the judgment that would befall Israel at the hands of this new king.

Although many people wish that they could see the future, not everything the Lord shows to the prophets is pleasant. Many times they are broken by the horrifying future God allows them to see, by the blackness of people's hearts, by the wickedness of a nation.  Elisha was grieved to the point of tears by what God allowed him to see in Hazael's heart and future.

I think if I were Elisha I might have either gotten scared of Hazael, or more likely just have gotten angry at him.  Kind of like when you’re watching one of those movies where the bad guy is bullying all the little people, and you feel the adrenalin pump up inside of you, and you want to go punch somebody’s lights out.

But Elisha wept instead.  This is a tender heart. This is God’s Heart.

When Jesus came to Jerusalem, He knew that He would be killed there. 

"And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." (Luke 19:41-42 KJV)

Jesus could have been angry with Jerusalem for all it had done to the prophets in the past, let alone what it would do to Him. Yet instead of being angry, He wept.

Though Elisha was a strong man, able to move kingdoms by his message and prayer, he was of a tender and compassionate disposition. This was a man of God who one moment chastised the king of Israel for his crimes, and the next called for a minstrel to calm his spirit with strains of music. Isn't it interesting that the men that can move others are they themselves very susceptible and easily moved.

The nearer we live to God, the more our tears will flow for the people.  There must come times when tears well up for humanity’s sake, as we learn to look at things from God’s standpoint. The more we study the scriptures and gain an understanding of what is in them, the more we start to understand the urgency of the message and the dire straits that some will find themselves in as He comes again.  When we start to love others like Christ loved them, with true charity, we too will feel the need to weep for their suffering.

I think this is one of Elisha's most Christ-like moments.  As a person who does not often cry, I have found myself being more easily moved throughout this year of scripture study. It is difficult to study the lives of those in the scriptures and not find yourself becoming more like them.  I am not comparing myself to Elisha or any of the other prophets in the scriptures, but I am finding myself more aware of their character traits and recognizing them or a lack of them in myself. 

Lately, having a tender heart is one of those traits and I have wept for others suffering and even from the knowledge of where they are headed.  Honestly, I am not completely comfortable with it and often fight it.  I don't like to cry.  I found it interesting that it was these verses that I was led to study today.  I think the Lord is trying to tell me something: Having a tender heart is a Christ-like attribute we all need, including me!