Brokenhearted Riffraff

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the suffering and afflicted. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted, to announce liberty to captives, and to open the eyes of the blind. Isaiah 61:1

The LORD is drawn to the brokenhearted. Though I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it is because you have to go so low when your heart is broken.

When your spirit lies crushed in the dust, perhaps it is the fact that you dare not even lift your eyes toward heaven, that draws the everlasting love of heaven down–straight to your heart.

Brokenhearted riffraff pray prayers of sheer desperation. And maybe, it is that desperation that draws the heart of God.

Two kinds of prayer

Jesus taught that there are basically two types of prayers. There are horizontal prayers, that go nowhere. And there are vertical prayers, that zoom straight to the ears and heart of God.

Then he [Jesus] told this story to some who boasted of their virtue and scorned everyone else:

“Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a proud, self-righteous Pharisee, and the other a cheating tax collector. The proud Pharisee ‘prayed’ this prayer: ‘Thank God, I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don’t commit adultery, I go without food twice a week, and I give to God a tenth of everything I earn.’

“But the corrupt tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed, but beat upon his chest in sorrow, exclaiming, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home forgiven! For the proud shall be humbled, but the humble shall be honored.” Luke 18: 9-14 TLB

What’s so amazing about grace?

It is freely and lavishly given to those who don’t deserve it.

The riffraff of this world know that they are, and in desperation, with heart bowed down, weary and heavy laden, they come.

They come because Jesus invited them to, and still does.

Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11: 28 The Voice

Philip Yancey wrote, “Having spent time around “sinners” and also around purported saints, I have a hunch why Jesus spent so much time with the former group: I think he preferred their company. Because the sinners were honest about themselves and had no pretense, Jesus could deal with them. In contrast, the saints put on airs, judged him, and sought to catch him in a moral trap. In the end it was the saints, not the sinners, who arrested Jesus.”
― What’s So Amazing About Grace