Do I Really Want a Heart Like His?

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In my last post, I shared the lyrics of a song that really means a lot to me. The song is a prayer asking for God's heart, His eyes, His hands, and His feet. 

I wrote the post on Sunday. On Wednesday, I practiced the song with Rachel and her friend. Then on Thursday, the words of this song - especially the first verse - challenged me in a very practical way.

Give to me, Oh Lord
A heart that beats like Yours  
Full of compassion for the ones You love.

I'm training to be a substitute for staff who serve individuals with developmental disabilities. Sometimes this job is enjoyable. Other times, it is just downright difficult. Thursday was one of those difficult days. Due to privacy issues, I can't share details of how the day went. 

I will say, though, that I went home that night very tired. When I crawled into bed, a couple of the individuals who had been especially challenging that day kept coming to mind. Then, the words of the song came to mind. 

Give to me, Oh Lord
A heart that beats like Yours\
Full of compassion for the ones You love.

Were those words truly the prayer of my heart? Do I really want God's heart of compassion for the "difficult people" I sometimes have to work with? I can say that in this case...yes, I do. Not only do I want His heart. I need His heart in order to serve the people with whom I work.

A question remains. What about the other people around me? Around you? We all know people who are "difficult" in some way or another. Am I willing to ask for God's heart of compassion toward them? Are you willing to pray for a heart like His?

Give Me a Heart Like Yours

When I lived in Bali, Indonesia and worked with a terrific group of teenagers from the children's home, I had a favorite song. It was a prayer that I truly hoped would become the longing of the hearts of each of the teens in the group...and my heart as well.

I am back in Ohio now, and my church in having a 40-day prayer focus. This Indonesian song came to mind, and I searched the web to see if it had perhaps actually been translated from English. When I could not locate any song with English lyrics that went with the same tune, I decided to translate the song myself. Rachel and a friend of hers will sing it in church, probably sometime next month.

I'd like to share the words with you.

Give to me, Oh Lord
A heart that beats like Yours
Full of compassion for the ones You love.

Give to me, Oh Lord
Eyes that see like Yours
Open to see the harvest all around.

Give to me hands like Yours
Strong for the task You set before me.
Give to me feet like Yours 
Ready to walk the path You show me.

Give me, Lord
Give me, Lord
Give me a heart like Yours.

I don't know about you, but I think this would be a good prayer for all of us.