Break my heart for what breaks yours (Part 2)

The song “Hosanna” by Hillsongs (written and sung by Brooke Fraser) has been one of my favourites for a long time, and I’ve written in here before that I love the bridge in particular:

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

For a long time, whenever I sang the line “Break my heart for what breaks Yours”, my mind naturally turned to all the people who do not yet know Jesus, and whom Jesus is just longing to welcome into His kingdom. I’m sure His heart is breaking for all those who can’t, or won’t, for whatever reason, accept the gift of salvation that He is freely holding out to all.

But recently, I’ve begun to see that line of the song in a different light. And it dawned on me that God’s heart can break over those who are already His children as well, and perhaps even more so because we are already family.

Why and when would God’s heart break for those who are already His? I think there are a number of reasons, but I believe that one of them is when His children absorb and participate so much in the things of the world as to be virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the world.

In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus teaches His disciples:

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Jesus says that His followers are to be salt and light to the world. Salt preserves from decay, has healing properties, and enhances flavour. Light shines in areas of darkness, and shows the way to those who are lost. Salt and light stand out. They are immediately discernible, either by taste or sight. That’s what we are called to be.

Is that what we are? Is that what I am?

I used to be an avid watcher of television programmes of all kinds. But recently, God has laid upon my heart that I need to examine what I consume with my eyes and ears.

What would Jesus think if He stopped by today and saw all the things that we regard as “entertainment” these days? The movies that we watch, the TV programmes that we make a date with each week, the music that we listen to, the books that we read, the internet sites that we surf to … If Jesus were to happen to stop by today, would we be rushing to pull our headphones out of our ears, scrambling to hide our books under the bed, hurrying to switch windows on our computer screens, diving for the “off” button on the TV remote control? (Not that any of that would make any difference, by the way, since Jesus knows everything, and we can’t hide anything from Him.)

Lately, it’s been on my mind that many things in this world which grieve God have become so “naturalised” on our screens, in our music, and in our reading, that many people (Christian believers included) no longer bat an eyelid when we encounter them. If something is seen enough times and heard enough times without anyone ever questioning it, then gradually that mode of entertainment comes to be regarded as “normal”. People start consuming more and more of it, and it becomes difficult to see that there could be any other realistic response to it in this modern world. But I believe there is.

Just because “everyone” around us accepts something as “normal” and “harmless” does not make it right in God’s eyes.

The popular hit drama on TV where the lead characters (portrayed as brilliant, attractive, flawed but generally moral and upright citizens whom everyone admires) are a couple who are living together without being married – Is that our favourite TV show? Should it be?  (Have a look at Hebrews 13:4.)

The crime drama that shows in horrific detail people being killed in various ways every week – Is that what we settle down to watch before going to bed? Should it be? (Have a look at Philippians 4:8.)

The latest music single whose chorus details multiple ways of getting even with someone after being wronged – Is that what’s blaring into our ears as we drive, wait for the bus, take the train? Should it be? (Have a look at Romans 12:14-21.)

I could go on, but I’m sure you get the picture. The Bible states very clearly in James 4:4 that those who choose to be “friends with the world” are enemies of God:

“[D]on’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (James 4:4) 

(By the way, point to note: being “friends with the world” means to embrace worldly values and passions which are at odds with God’s values. When the Bible says that believers are not to be “friends with the world”, it absolutely does not mean that Christians should not befriend non-Christians. Jesus himself befriended people who were not His followers wherever He went.)

I believe God grieves when He sees some of what people are choosing to be “entertained” by these days, and I believe His heart breaks just that bit more when He sees His own children embracing the same kind of “entertainment”. Why? Because by permitting something contrary to God’s will to reside in our lives, we make it difficult for ourselves to fully enter into God’s presence, and God loves for His children to enter right into His presence, to sit with Him, talk with Him, and hear from His heart.

No matter how popular a singer is, how spectacular the special effects of a movie are, how many awards a TV programme has won, I believe God smiles down at us when we choose to say “God is more important”. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. If the people who know full well what God says in His word do not show a recognition of what grieves Him, then who else is going to?

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Salt, Borough Market, London, taken in 2009.