In Our World of Loneliness and Despair

As Christians who care, we work to bring hope and help to a situation. We minister as priests, mediators between God and humanity - for God is the one who fuels hope and sustains real help. When we bring hope and help to our neighbor, we let it come from Him through us. As little Christ's, we follow in the way of Jesus, meeting others in their hard times with a heart of love, a heart that knows God.

Henri Nouwen writes at length about Jesus and our hearts and hope:

Look at Jesus. The world did not pay any attention to him. He was crucified and put away. His message of love was rejected by a world in search of power, efficiency, and control.

But there he was, appearing with wounds in his glorified body to a few friends who had eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to understand. This rejected, unknown, wounded Jesus simply asked, "Do you love me, do you really love me?" He whose only concern had been to announce the unconditional love of God had only one question to ask, "Do you love me?"

The question is not: How many people take you seriously? How much are you going to accomplish? Can you show some results? But: Are you in love with Jesus? Perhaps another way of putting the question would be: Do you know the incarnate God?

In our world of loneliness and despair, there is an enormous need for men and women who know the heart of God, a heart that forgives, that cares, that reaches out and wants to heal. In that heart there is no suspicion, no vindictiveness, no resentment, and not a tinge of hatred. It is a heart that wants only to give love and receive love in response.

It is a heart that suffers immensely because it sees the magnitude of human pain and the great resistance to trusting the heart of God who wants to offer consolation and hope.

Are you in need of hope?

Are you in need of help?

When you reach out to God, he responds in love - he can identify with your loneliness and despair. He meets you where you are at. The greatest difficulty in asking God for help is that you must trust Him, trust His way of helping. If He prompts you to forgive, you must trust Him to forgive. If He moves you to stay loyal, you must trust Him and do so. If He brings someone into your life that offers wisdom and companionship for the long journey, you'll need to trust Him on it and go along.

God will answer your prayers for hope and help by bringing someone alongside you with a heart that knows the heart of God and can be a conduit for his healing love. You must be be willing to receive the answer to your prayers.

And for you, Christian, that cares: are you willing to be part of God's answer to those who whisper "Help..."