Welcome to The Turnaround’s 52 Days of Prayer!
Introduction
Welcome to Day 1 of 52 days of prayer. In order for us to see change occur in our country and our world, we must feel the urgency of the situation and bear one another’s burdens. There is tremendous power in empathy and compassion.
Insight
Nehemiah’s response to the news about Jerusalem is striking. Though he lived far from the destruction, his heart broke for his people and his city. He didn’t shrug off the news or leave the burden to others. Instead, he felt their pain so deeply that he wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed. His heart was sensitive to the needs and pains of others. He shows us that true empathy involves more than just understanding someone’s pain—it requires feeling that pain as if it were our own and being moved to seek God’s guidance on how to respond.
The life of Jesus Christ gives us the ultimate example of empathy. Jesus constantly demonstrated a heart that was moved by the suffering of others. In John 11:35, we read. “Jesus wept.” Jesus, knowing He would raise Lazarus from the dead, wept. His tears were an expression of His deep compassion for Mary and Martha’s grief and the pain that sin and death bring into the world. Jesus’ empathy drove Him to intervene, to heal, and ultimately to sacrifice His life for our salvation. We see that true empathy compels us to love others in practical and sacrificial ways.
In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells a parable where a man is beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest and a Levite, both respected religious figures, see the man but pass by on the other side. But a Samaritan—a man from a group despised by the Jews—comes upon the injured man. He doesn’t just feel sorry for the man; he stops, tends to his wounds, takes him to an inn, and pays for his care. The Samaritan’s empathy led him to take significant risks and make personal sacrifices to help a fellow man.
As followers of Christ, we are called to embody the empathy and compassion that Nehemiah displayed, that Jesus exemplified, and that the Good Samaritan lived out. We are called to feel the pain of others as our own, to be moved by their suffering, and to respond with love, prayer, and action.
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” — Galatians 6:2
Turnaround Question
In a world that is overloaded with information and opposing viewpoints, how can we mourn the broken walls of our country? How can we unite around the common goal of healing our land, just as Nehemiah did? What is our unique role in turning our country around?
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, we love and praise you. Help us to be sensitive to the needs and hurts of those around us. Lord, allow the pain of others to move us to our knees then to our feet in action. God please give us hearts that break for what breaks Yours, and to empower us to be Your hands and feet in a hurting world. May we, in all our interactions, reflect the empathy of Christ, bearing one another’s burdens, and so fulfilling the law of love.
