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God’s Big Heart

Let’s hear it for the little guy! Scripture is full of this magnificent theme. It is so like God to notice the little guy, the one the world dismisses or tramples. 

God did not choose an ancient powerhouse like Egypt, Babylon, or Persia as the nation at the center of His plan. He chose a tiny nation. Within that nation, He did not have His son born as a prince, but as a totally ordinary person in a part of Israel where the locals had an accent that the purists and power-holders in Jerusalem looked down on.

From the time of Moses onward, God demanded that His chosen people watch out for the welfare of orphans, widows, and immigrants. Jesus chose twelve “little guys” as His apostles—ordinary people, not influential, well-connected people. Later He had to rebuke those “little guys” for trying to keep the even littler guys (children) from coming to Him for His blessing.

What does all that mean for mission and for our own prayers? It means that the evening news is an unreliable guide to God’s heart. When did you last hear a news report about small countries like Tuvalu (Pacific islands) or Lesotho (Africa)? 

Those countries may not qualify for news coverage, but they are eminently qualified for God’s love and they are heavily on His heart. How can we get them on ours? That is what today’s Missiographic tries to help you do—see the whole world from several perspectives that are not newsworthy but God-worthy.

Personal Reflection: 
• On today’s Missiographic, find two or three countries you may have never even heard of. Pray for them. Look up their description and prayer needs at www.operationworld.org. 
• Check out http://www.operationworld.org/prayer-videos and choose a country you have not been praying for. Watch the 2-minute video with a sound track of prayer. 

Prayer: 
• Lord God, we praise You for caring about every human being You have created and every people group and country on this planet. Down through the ages You have taken the side of the little nation, the little family, the little people. You have honored the ones the world pays no attention to. Let us do the same thing in Your name.
• Our Father, remind us of Jesus blessing the little children, and keep us from thinking we are too busy for the small things in life. In our daily lives and in our outlook on the world, let the concerns of your big heart dominate over the “big” issues that make the news.