Text: Luke 19.41-44
As Jesus crests the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem appears below him across the valley, he begins to sob. With prophetic eyes, he sees the Roman siege ramps assaulting the city as residents and their children are slaughtered. His rejection by the people will not only bring death to him, but death to many.
He’s heartbroken and overwhelmed with grief over the tragedy of a lost opportunity: the Jews were visited by their Savior, but they didn’t know it. Instead of receiving him, they killed him.
When we run far from God, we suffer terribly—God is grieved by the agony we bring ourselves.
As God looks on the pain we incur running from him, we can almost hear these words of Jesus: “If you. . .had only known . . . what would bring you peace… You did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you” (Luke 19.42a, 44b).
Though difficult, reflect on a moment of pain you or a loved one has experienced as a result of running from God. We all have one. Consider the fact God’s heart breaks over our pain as he desires us to return to him in repentance. Ask God to give you his perspective on this pain as you experience the fullness and blessings of his rule in our lives.
