Day 101 A Heart Like His

 

4/11/2026

“Spiritual work is taxing work, and men are loath to do it. 

Praying, true praying, costs an outlay of serious attention and of time, 

which flesh and blood do not relish.” 

E. M. Bounds 

 

This has been an exceptional Shabbat! After the global prayer call on Saturdays, I anxiously switch over to my online church, Jacob's Tent, but I guess it was canceled due to a flu outbreak that seems to plague the church, so I tuned into the Messianic synagogue in Richmond, Tikvat Israel. I've never taken the time to visit, but I do follow through weekly newsletters and special updates. I always receive the YouTube link to their service, but I've only tuned in one time. But today, I decided I'd listen in, and I am so glad that I did. I really like Rabbi David, as it is obvious that he has a close relationship with his church members and with the community. I haven't visited, because I love Jacob's Tent so much, but then as wonderful as it is, they are not local. This morning, Tikvat had a guest speaker, Randy Martinez from MAPS Global located in Richmond. Imagine that! But it gets better and more personal for me. This ministry understands what it means to go into all the world, beginning with your own community, and teach the Gospel to those in need of the only good word. This ministry has been right here, under my nose, and I didn't know it. Perhaps this is the answer to my prayer. 

When Randy began to speak, and his message was based on Matthew 9:35-38, I knew this message was for my ears. This scripture speaks of the compassion of Jesus:

"Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to his disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'"

Randy shared that the feeling that gripped Jesus when He looked at the crowd was gut wrenching, twisting Him up in literal knots in His guts, the feelings were so intense, because He saw their spiritual needs. He could see to the very core the true needs of this multitude, and He knew their needs were not being understood, nor realized. He said they were like sheep without a shepherd. The common reaction a person experiences to a truly needy person, is generally disgust pointing out the individual's obvious disrespect for their own appearance. Or it can be the smell a person may exude that is unpleasing. I had never thought about it until this moment, but perhaps this is one reason God had me travel this road as He was restoring me from my years of mistreatment and abandonment, by giving me jobs in caring for others. I remember as a health care supervisor my job was to schedule caregivers with the clients. There were some clients that were hard to staff, because of personality, location, or less than agreeable circumstances. In other words, the physical needs were too much to handle. Generally, those with some form of mental trauma tended to be challenging for some, but I learned even more about those unique opportunities when God graduated me to case management. I have witnessed people living in filthy conditions, and although the authorities knew, they did not correct the situation, so I had to provide for them the best care that I could. Often I was the one intervening. Fortunately also, there are many compassionate people who care for others, because I know it is not for the money. 

His three points that he made were about the worthiness of Jesus, Jesus' heart of compassion, and the anointing of Jesus. He spoke about the importance of true worship, not simply singing a few songs as a warm up to the sermon, but fully lingering in the presence of of a God who is worthy of praise and adoration. Sadly this is missing in most churches who think they're doing this, but the "feeling" soon leaves. Trust me, when in the presence, nothing else matters and time is irrelevant. All that matters is Him.

Jesus has a heart of compassion for the lost and broken. I have often spoken of asking God to break my heart for what breaks His, warning others not to pray it unless you're sincere, because He answers. Randy mentioned the same. Sitting before Him, waiting in His Presence, not simply praying a list of needs, but seeking His direction, asking Holy Spirit to speak. Believe me when I say many things grieve the heart of God. It begins with our own hearts. Repenting for seeking our own desires, or own ways of doing things. Surrendering afresh and truly asking Him to break our hearts, so there is none of us and all of Him.

Randy said that "you become what you behold," and this is so true. Things we think are important, things that take up our time when we should be focused on others. Seeking God for a fresh anointing for the harassed and helpless of this world. This extends to every nation, but particularly to those areas that are the least covered regions. Right now we have a war going on in Iran. The Middle East is one of those areas that is without Christ and in need of the Gospel message. I have shared before that Isaiah 19 speaks of the restoration of Egypt and the Assyrian nations with Israel. Iran is home to the largest and fastest growing underground church, even in war. God cares about the Muslims, and the Buddhists, and all peoples. And He tells us to go, witness, and lead all men to Christ. We need to pray for a heart of compassion, a love for others, as Jesus has for all men. Many times we don't even consider others, because many times the truth is not widely spread on secular news. 

Hearing this message today stirred my already stirred up heart. I care so much for the lost and dying world, and each day I pray and ask Abba to tell me what I am to do next. I am already 75 years of age, and I don't want to waste a single moment of my life out of His will. So this message rings true to my heart and my ears. I hope it does the same for others, because time is getting short.