An Empath's Rest - Your Nightly Prayer
An Empath’s Rest
Your Nightly Prayer for Jan. 29, 2025
by Candice Lucey
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)
SOMETHING TO PONDER
Maybe you have learned to let go of your own problems at night and submit them to God’s Sovereign power. But what about your neighbor’s issues, or that terrible thing you just read on the prayer chain, or simply the weight of every need you see? Are you one of those people whose deep empathy chases you through the night so you can’t seem to sleep?
Empathy is when you try to put yourself in other people’s shoes, especially when they are suffering. It is a trait that reflects God’s own heart. Jesus was so concerned about the lost people who followed him that, instead of guarding his time and space so he could grieve the death of his cousin John, he returned to the crowd. “He had compassion for them”. Empaths are burdened by the hurt others feel, following Paul’s instructions in Philippians 2:3: “in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
But this deep emotion can also become draining and fruitless if we try to solve all of the problems we are praying about instead of asking for God’s help. Sometimes, we can do something, like the men in Luke 5 who lowered their paralyzed friend through a hole in the roof of a home where Jesus was teaching. They loved their friend, and they felt his desperate need so much that they were willing to do something outrageous to see him healed. They also knew they were weak while simultaneously recognizing the power of Christ to heal. True empathy is wise; it doesn’t try to fix everything all the time. Sometimes, the wisest thing is to lead someone to the throne of true power.
Beware the potential for empathy to lead back to you and the way you suffer or strive because of your empathy. This can become a form of self-imposed penance or even a way to garner attention. The men on the roof “let the bed with the sick man on it down before Jesus.” (Luke 5:19). They were focused on getting their friend to the man with the power to heal. Jesus rewarded their faith by saying to their paralyzed friend, “Your sins are forgiven”. (v.20) Empathy steps back into the shadows, experiencing great satisfaction and rest by watching God work in another person’s broken life.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Father, when someone in my circle of friends or even a member of the wider church body is hurting, we can be so moved by their grief and pain that we lose sleep. Show us how to pray well for them: place the right prayers on our hearts; nurture our trust that you will meet them where they are. Help us lift these people up to you and step back as they realize with amazement that you truly care for them. You truly know what it feels like to go through what they are going through, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses.” (Hebrews 4:15). You know, and you have the power to heal their hurt. Thank you, Jesus, amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON:
1. Christ is close to us in the valley.
Psalm 23:4 talks about the comfort he provides even when we walk “in the Valley of the Shadow of Death.” This is the power and compassion of Christ for us to offer others when they suffer and for us to cling to when we suffer FOR others. Empaths feel the hurt others are experiencing, but they also experience the healing presence of Christ, which is big enough for both.
2. Empathy is meant to interrupt your life for the sake of someone else.
Empaths do not run from the pain of others - Christ never did. He even interceded for the men and women who had rejected him at Calvary. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34). Empathy produces fruit, even if that fruit is only a desire to pray for someone who is hurting.
3. Empathy can also feel joyful because it is a reflection of Christ’s heart.
Empathy is an effect of sanctification by the Holy Spirit, making you more like Christ. As you feel others’ pain, you glimpse people through Christ’s eyes as he seeks to give his lost sheep rest, peace, safety, and love. While deep compassion like this can feel burdensome at times, it is also a testimony that sufferers might notice and which you can use to really lead them to the Healer: Christ.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/cyano66
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