AfterWords | O, The Love of Jesus

A short read
by Amy Hoyle

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

Our oldest son, Noah, and his family live in St. Paul, Minnesota. The past few weeks, my heart has been so anxious, not only for their safety, but for all the people in their community. I have really struggled with feeling brokenhearted, anxious, and angry, all at the same time.

Over the Christmas break, Scott and I binged the extended versions of The Lord of Rings and Hobbit movies. They contain such a beautiful illustration of the impossible task Frodo is given. The burden is heavy, and his journey filled with peril, but he is the only one called to this task.

In the same way, I am also called to a specific task (not going to Mordor). I am called to decide what I do with the time God gives me. I am called to grieve the world, but not be overcome by it.

I pray to stay broken, trusting God and clinging to Jesus. I pray against bitterness, that I will not weep with worldly sorrow, as someone with no hope. May I weep with Godly sorrow, trusting Him, and clinging to Jesus.

Still, the world and its troubles feel very big. It’s easy to feel frozen, unsure what to do. How can one person ease the pain so many feel? As I was talking this out with Noah last week, the Holy Spirit prompted my heart, and reminded me any kindness shown to others is a way to fight against the evilness of this world. God’s grace allows us to do what we could never do on our own. We fight to forgive—to remember it’s not an us and them—it’s all of us who are facing principalities and darkness unseen with our eyes, but felt in our hearts.

When the grief, suffering, hate, hostility, and injustices are more than I can carry, when my compassion and broken heart feel too much, I’m called to remember Jesus and His inexhaustible grace and love. He felt the weight and suffering of a broken world, He carried the sins of all on a cross, and He carries this, as well.

When I am undone and disquieted, I look to Jesus. I’ve learned it’s okay to take moments away—to refresh and rest, lament and pray, look up to God, find moments of joy, and love on those God has placed in our midst. These are holy and necessary actions.

In Every Moment Holy, there’s a prayer for those flooded by too much information.

“When the cacophony of universal distress unsettles us, remind us we are but small and finite creatures, never designed to carry the vast abstractions of great burdens, for our arms are too short and our strength is too small. Justice and mercy, healing and redemption are Your great labors.”

I recently completed a study of Esther, and I was so struck by how God uses imperfect people.

Esther was one woman, and her uncle Mordecai just one man. They weren’t perfect, but were covered in God’s grace. And that grace allowed them to do what they could never do on their own—save the Jewish people. Evil appeared to have the upper hand, but God was always at work.

God gives each of us opportunities to serve Him. Mordecai and Esther took a courageous stand on behalf of their people, and the reversal of fortune God brought on behalf of the Jewish nation was astonishing.

We live in a world surrounded by burdens, weighed down by sin, and needing the rescue only God can bring. The news and social media can make us feel evil and chaos have the upper hand, but we are called to remember God is always at work in our upside-down world. Circumstance and what we see can turn in a heartbeat with God.

My heart is still heavy for all who suffer injustice. May my heart remain broken, and my response be steeped in Jesus.

The song of my heart, “Oh, the love of Jesus, give us Your heart. Bless the humble and the lowly. Bless the heart that’s healing slowly. Bless the poor and bless the suffering. Give us grace to be the blessing. Bless the widow and the orphan. Bless the sick and bless the mourning. Bless the friendless. Bless the hungry. Give us grace to be a blessing.”