Tears of the Saints

Today as I was driving to the bank, I was listening to the radio.  They were talking about the earthquakes in Spain today and the floodwaters of the Mississippi heading further south.  So much has been happening in the world lately.  I don’t think so many things of this magnitude have happened together...ever.  Kinda interesting to think about, especially from a Biblical concept.  I guess every generation has thought they were going to be the ones to see Jesus come back, and so far, they have been wrong.  All this is hitting me strangely, the thought that it might be close.  Initially, I was making jokes about it, but the more the thought lingered, the sadder I became.

After all these reports on the radio, the song came on “O Glorious Day.”  I thought about the words to that song, praising the thought of Jesus coming back and how amazing that day is going to be.  I began to entertain the thought, “I wonder how amazing God thinks that day is?  So many people will from that moment on live forever without Him, and He without them.  I wonder how that makes Him feel?”

Think about how precious God made every person.  I immediately thought about some of the waiters and waitresses I know from the restaurant I go to, who are nowhere close to knowing God that I can tell.  I thought about how much I care about them.  I remember when I thought my friend was leaving, and I was very sad that after a week I might never see him again.  It turns out that he stayed, but I wonder how sad we allow ourselves to become over the thought of eternity...their eternity without God.  And to think that in a moment...in the blink of an eye, the clock will strike midnight and there is no longer a choice to be made.  This reality ends and a new reality begins.  That day will be good for many of us, but not everyone by far.

I went home and changed my clothes and headed to the gym.  As I was on the treadmill, the song came on my IPod by Leeland called “Tears of the Saints.”  I listened to the song at least twice and the words totally struck me and broke my heart.  Here are the lyrics:

There are many prodigal sons
On our city streets they run
Searching for shelter
There are homes broken down
People's hopes have fallen to the ground
From failures

This is an emergency!

There are tears from the saints
For the lost and unsaved
We're crying for them come back home
We're crying for them come back home
And all your children will stretch out their hands
And pick up the crippled man
Father, we will lead them home
Father, we will lead them home

There are schools full of hatred
Even churches have forsaken
Love and mercy
May we see this generation
In it's state of desperation
For Your glory

This is an emergency!

Sinner, reach out your hands!
Children in Christ you stand!
Sinner, reach out your hands!
Children in Christ you stand!

And all Your children will stretch out their hands
And pick up the crippled man
Father, we will lead them home
Father, we will lead them home

I know that I cringe at the word “sinner”.  I guess it’s one of those churchy words that people immediately close their minds to.  However, how else do you describe it?  It is the reality of us all. 

I don’t know that I would consider myself a saint by any stretch of the imagination, but I wonder if true tears have fallen from my eyes for the prodigal sons, the broken, and the generation that I live in every day.  Does my heart break enough for me to do something about it?  I guess that is something that I am praying about.