This past week the world watched in terror as the Taliban took over the country of Afghanistan following the departure of US troops from the war torn country. Images flooded the internet, capturing the situation on the ground.

People, in desperation, climbed atop a US force cargo plane in an attempt to flee Taliban terrorists. Parents with children, men and women with their possessions, and many with nothing to show for, tried to escape terror, but the vast majority remained behind.

Furthermore, lots of resources, plans, lives, blood and sweat was poured onto Afghanistan in the past 20 years. I have friends who lost loved ones in the Afghanistan war, and some who lost limbs fighting for our country. One of my friends who was deployed multiple times to fight in the war exclaimed in disbelief, “So disheartening, 20 years gone within weeks.”

Yes, it is upsetting. Yes, there was failure of leadership in relation to the pull out of US troops. These things are upsetting. Our hearts should burn with anger toward the injustice of the Taliban. We also should be heartbroken for parents, children, and women who are being tortured and slaughtered in Afghanistan. How can our hearts not break from images of Afghani moms throwing and handing their babies off to American troops over barb wired fences??! Not to mention Afghan football player Zaki Anwari (and perhaps another person) plunging to his death from a US air Force plane.

Now, I realized something about myself this week. I have forgotten about the suffering of people in Afghanistan these past years. I failed to pray for my brothers and sisters and people around the world who are suffering the terrible consequences of oppression and Islamic terrorism.

This week my heart broke. I’m saddened beyond words. Sad about the suffering I’ve watched over the news and also sad about how indifferent I have been toward other people’s sufferings. I need revival! And if I’m guessing right, the majority of us do too.

Indifference

As I reflected on what is going on in the world stage, a dialogue from the movie Hotel Rwanda came back into memory.

Jack: [walking towards the bus carrying all the whites who are leaving Rwanda while the blacks are left behind] Oh, God, I’m so ashamed!
Pat Archer: [relating the last words of the orphan slain by the Hutus] Please don’t let them kill me. I… I promise I won’t be Tutsi anymore.
Paul: [of the Tutsi] You cannot seriously think that you can kill them all.
George: And why not? We are halfway there already.
Paul: How can they not do anything? Don’t they care?
Jack: I think that when people turn on their TVs and see this footage, they’ll say, “Oh my God, that’s horrible,” and then they’ll go back to eating their dinners.

People in America and the West are desensitized to suffering and pain. We actually are entertained by it. We watch movies that celebrate murder, sexualize women, and disparage the marginalized. We are sick. The reason? Our hearts have turned cold. Like stones who are hard to break, our hearts are hardened to the point of indifference.

This must not be so! As Pastor John MacArthur puts it, “We should not be entertained by the sins for which Christ died.”

A asked a number of self-reflective questions this week: Why have I not spent more time praying for the nations? Why does my heart not break for the injustices in the world? How can I commit to praying for others around the world, especially the hurting and persecuted? God, could you please break my heart to breaks yours? Lord can you help me be less indifferent and moved with greater compassion for the wounded, hurt, and oppressed?

Christians in the Age of Indifference

Jesus was moved with compassion for people. He had compassion for children (Mark 10:13–16; Mark 9:17–18), he had compassion for women (Luke 7:36–50; 7:13; 4:25–26), for outcasts, the poor, and the oppressed (Luke 4:18–19). But most importantly, Jesus’ whole mission evolved around saving the lost. Luke 19:10 states, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

After Jesus accomplished his mission he mandated his disciples to proclaim the good news of salvation to everyone. The Great Commission is Christ’s main charge to all believers, and there is no room for indifference toward the lost. In other words, our heart must be moved with compassion for those who do not know Jesus.

But if we are indifferent toward people across the world, like those suffering in Afghanistan, how can we even have a heart for the lost?

Perhaps we can take a few steps toward killing our indifference:

1. We need to pray that God will soften our hearts. King David once wrote, “God, create a pure heart in me, and renew a right attitude within me” (Psalm 51:10).
2. We need to ensure we are in constant fellowship with God, while at the same time being alert to the needs of those who are suffering.
3. We need to steward our gifts and finances to help the hurting. (A credible place to financially help Afghani refugees is World Relief)
4. We need to bring awareness to others about the plight of the poor, marginalized, and persecuted (Voice of the Martyrs is a reliable source).

Christians are people of peace. We not only seek peace, but we want to share it with others just like Christ share his peace with us (John 14:27). God promised that he would give us peace that surpasses all understanding if we come to him in prayer (Philippians 4:6–7). And this peace too is offered to the world. So when we pray, let us pray that the people of Afghanistan and elsewhere will soon, rather than later, experience God’s peace!

Written by Daniel Messina

Read another one of my articles here: https://pastordanielmessina.com/heart-check-hows-your-spiritual-pulse/