In the heart of God
Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
For they have been from of old. Psalm 25:6
Read Luke 15:1—7
Tonight Jesus takes me into the heart of God. Into the heart-beat of heaven. Heaven rejoices. Heaven itself rejoices at the saving action of Jesus the good shepherd. But Jesus also takes me into the heart of his critics, and, rather cheekily, he has them listen to their own heart: ‘Which one of you wouldn’t have your own heart impel you in quest of even one straying sheep? You know you couldn’t sleep soundly at night knowing that even the scrawniest member of your flock was missing and was suffering, don’t you?’ So, when Matthew uses the same parable, the focus falls on my own heart, the call to care about the wayward as Jesus has done for me.[1] Finally, then, Jesus is speaking into my own heart.
Prayer
Dear Lord, as evening draws on, this is one of those nights when I cannot simply ask for restful sleep. This night I must ask for your heart. This night I must ask for restlessness, to know what I am to do for the lost, for the wayward, for the sheep you bring to my mind. Give me your heart, your heart that rejoices too, when any lost one is found, and let my life and my times and my energy all be lived true to this heart. For once I have your heart what I do will follow.
[1] Matthew 18:10—14