Go Beyond

Unless our heart is broken for what breaks God’s heart, we will fail to make a difference in our world. A broken heart is essential to fixing broken things. If we want to make a difference, then we must discover what breaks God’s heart and get in sync with the rhythm of His divine heartbeat. But, we must understand that when we truly get our heart in sync with His, then we can no longer remain the same. We cannot remain passive or complacent or uninvolved. Instead we will be compelled to reorder our priorities to reflect God’s passions and to intentionally spend ourselves on His purposes. A heart that is in sync with God’s heart is reflected in a life that is willing to go beyond — to do more than talk a good game but to actually get in the game.

Asking God to break your heart for what breaks His is a dangerous prayer. When this prayer is answered it will change the way you look at and respond to what you see in the world. The answer to this prayer will turn your life upside down. But, that’s ok. God uses those whose lives have been turned upside down to turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6). A broken heart will cause you to dig deeper, work harder, pray longer, go farther, and reach higher. A broken heart will not allow you to live selfishly and to consume everything you make and every moment you have solely on yourself and your personal interests. A broken heart will lead you to close the distance between yourself and those who are lost, hurting, and in need.

The popular praise song “Hosanna” by Hillsong expresses the sentiment of what it means to ask God to break your heart:

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me

Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

Singing or saying these words is much easier than living them out. I read the words of one frustrated blogger who observed: “My issue is with my generation, who sings this song and songs like it, but then lives to no standard of holiness. My generation, who sings this song but doesn’t want to hate what God hates. In fact, they don’t even know what God hates. My generation wants God to save them, and to make them feel good. They don’t want Him as Lord and King over everything they do. They want to control their lives.”

Ouch! This person understands how easy it is for us to sing or to say words to God that do not result in any change in our lives. For some, asking God to break their heart for what breaks His is nothing more than an emotional or academic exercise. A person whose heart is truly broken for the things that break God’s heart cannot remain passive but instead is willing to be inconvenienced in order to engage with lost and hurting humanity. God is looking for people with broken hearts who are willing to do whatever it takes to connect with a hurting world and to make a difference. Are you willing to allow God to break your heart? If so, get ready for the adventure of a lifetime.