This prayer comes out of looking at various scriptures regarding the heart of Jesus.  The depth of that heart.  The compassion of that heart.  A compassion which in the greek does not just mean a “feeling sorry for” or sympathy.  But a longing from the depths of His being.  The literal translation, I am told, has something to do with “from the bowels” – the very center of His being.

I love Jesus with everything in me.  From that deepest place.  And when my heart, my deepest place is connected with His deepest place, His heart, I cannot help but be moved by and compelled by what moves and compels Him.

Here are some of the verses:

Matthew 14:14 – When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Matthew 20:30-34 – Two blind men were sitting by the roadside and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”…Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes…

Luke 7:13 – Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him.  As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out – the only son of his mother and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the town was with her.  When the Lord saw her his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”  Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still.  He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”  The dead man sat up and began to talk and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Matthew 15:32 – Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.  I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

Mark 1:41 – A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”  Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.  “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”  Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.

Matthew 9:36 – When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus didn’t just go out and do these miracles because He could or because He was supposed to.  The driving force was love.  He did it because He loved these people.  He felt compassion for these people.  He felt deeply for each of them and their needs.  These weren’t just robotic acts of kindness.  They came from the very center of who He was and the depths of His amazing heart.  That is the heart that I want…

Jesus,

Hold me close

Bring my ear to Your chest once again

I want to hear Your heart

I want to know Your heart

I want to have Your heart

Hold my heart against Your own

So that they are in sync, beating together

Because the closer I am to You

The stronger the beat of my heart

The softer the center of my heart

The more beautiful the rhythm of my heart

Because it is taking it’s cue from You

Your heart guides and teaches and nurtures mine

And I begin to realize

That the closer my heart is to Yours

The more my natural responses echo Yours

The things that grieve You make me cry

The things that bring You joy become my passion

People, who are Your priority, become mine as well

And the more I see and feel and know Your heart

The more I want to see and feel and know

So hold me close

Bring me to Your chest

My heart against Yours

Beating to the same rhythm…