“Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages.  He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives.  When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke.  So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd.  ‘What a huge harvest!’ he said to his disciples. ‘How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!'”  (The Message)

Matthew 9:35-38

What do you see when you look at the crowds?  Do you simply see a man standing

on a corner in the congested streets of the city with a sign that reads,

“PLEASE HELP, GOD BLESS YOU”?  Or do you have eyes to look beyond the moment?

Oh, Father, that you would give us 20/20 vision to look at the crowds with compassion as Jesus did, so for that moment we can see how dispirited, aimless and confused they are.  Father, break off the calluses of our heart, the judgments we make.  Give us a heart that breaks as our Savior’s heart broke for those in need.  Renew our minds to think as David thought when in Psalm 72:12-14 He said, “He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.  He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them.  He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to him.”  (New Living Translation)