Rainbow tinted profile pictures, rainbow light displays, the pride flag on nearly every staff—reminders greet us at every turn. “Pride Month” has grown from a niche community recognition to a national celebration rivaled only by Christmas. No longer can we ignore what’s going on “out there.” We followers of Christ must reckon with the LGBTQIA+ agenda, preparing ourselves to meet not just the agenda but the people who champion it head on.
Sometimes this looks like righteous anger and zeal. As truth takes hit after hit after hit on the chin, we need to draw some hard lines in the sand and stand up for what’s right. However, in a society fueled by outrage, I want to propose that while indignation may have its place, our first response more often ought to be a broken heart.
Remember Your Brokenness
The Bible tells the tale of many a broken heart, but none quite like the prophet Daniel. Captured as a teenager, Daniel lived through nearly seventy years of captivity. One day while reading the prophecies of Jeremiah, he realized that the time of exile was nearly over. Yet, he knew exactly why his people had been carted off by Babylon in the first place. He acknowledges this in his prayer:
Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against himand have not obeyed the LORD our God by following his instructions that he set before us through his servants the prophets. (Daniel 9:9–10)
If you know much about Daniel’s story, you’ll probably wonder why he uses the pronoun we in his prayer. After all, he’s the guy who was always standing up for what was right. Even when his rivals tried to scrape up some dirt on him, they came up totally empty. Daniel was anything but a rebel.
But Daniel recognized that he wasn’t perfect. Though it’s not recorded for us in Scripture, he too disobeyed God’s law. He set up idols, if only in his heart, just as you and I do. “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:10).
If I’m honest, “Pride Month” could probably be called “Self-Righteous Month” in my case. Like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable, I am prone to want to thank God that I’m not like them, as if I’m in some other class of sinner.
What odious, venomous drivel!
This month I need to remember that every particle of righteousness that I dare to call mine has come to me through one means and only one—the blood of Jesus Christ. Any supposed “righteousness” of my own is nothing more than a rag used to clean the most reprehensible mess.
A broken heart begins with recalling my own desperate state as a vile, miserable, wretch.
Weep over Brokenness
The writer of Psalm 119 was no stranger to enemies. By his own admission, he was plotted against, slandered, entrapped, oppressed, persecuted, and generally harassed. If anyone had a reason to be downright mad at the goings-on around him, it was this guy. But he didn’t. Instead, he wept.
My eyes pour out streams of tears
because people do not follow your instruction. (Psalm 119:136)
This man loved God’s Word with every fiber of his being and could not stand to see it violated. His tears did not come because of anything that happened to him. His tears were motivated by his absolute devotion to the testimonies of His covenant God.
I may get frustrated that God’s laws are broken.
I might become annoyed with the violation of God’s commands.
I may be indignant that the Word of God is besmirched.
But do I weep? Am I broken-hearted? If I’m totally honest, my answer would be—rarely. It’s not often that my heart aches because God’s laws have been broken. Which leads me to wonder how much I really in fact love them.
And that’s not the only aspect of brokenness over which we should weep this month. Not only should our hearts break because God’s law has been broken but also because of the lives that are broken by sin.
This concept is counter-cultural. The whole reason for having “Pride Month” is to appreciate what proponents believe is an “oppressed” subsection of our demography. To put it another way, if choosing an LGBTQIA+ lifestyle were a bed of roses, it’s unlikely they would find “Pride Month” to be necessary at all. But these image-bearers have chosen a path that has led or likely will lead to many heartbreaks, such as disease, regret, broken relationships, ostracism, a mutilated body, and ultimately death.
Sin destroys lives. And that should break our hearts, regardless of which sin it is, and regardless of whose life is being broken.
Moved to Prayer
But broken hearts and tears are not enough. Though Daniel’s heart was broken over his people’s sin, he took action—just not the action we might expect. Daniel hit his knees, confessing the sins of his people and pleading for God’s mercy. God’s hand is moved when His people pray. If you don’t know what to pray for, you could consider reading the “30 Days of Prayer for Pride Month” section of this blog post.
If that’s not your style, consider praying through John 3 or John 10 for your neighbor. Pray that they would recognize their need to be born again; pray that they would hear the voice of the Shepherd, that they would enter through the Door into the sheepfold. Straight or queer, trans or “cis,” your unsaved friend, neighbor, coworker, or relative’s greatest need is not to shed their sexual sins. Their greatest need is to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Next, pray for opportunities to get to know and love people who are represented by the rainbow flag. I tend to get very comfortable in my bubble full of people just like me. If my heart is truly broken over the plight of my LGBTQ neighbors, I will look for ways to open my life to them.
Moved to Action
Finally, as we wipe the tears and finish praying, we must allow our broken hearts to move us to action. We can’t be like the Pharisee or Levite; we must emulate the Samaritan who saw a soul in need and immediately went to work.
Maybe you’ll seize the opportunity to invite a trans or lesbian neighbor over for dinner. Or find ways to serve abortion minded women at a local pregnancy center. Make it a point to spend time in a coffee shop where a barista with alternate pronouns works. Get to know that person and learn about their life. Ask questions. Develop a relationship.
If someone comes into your church who doesn’t fit the normal mold, make sure that he doesn’t sit alone or walk out without anyone learning his name. Jesus intentionally went to Jacob’s well in Samaria in order to converse with a promiscuous woman with a shady past. What steps can you and I take to turn our broken hearts into action?
This month, let’s stop rolling our eyes at the agenda. Instead, may every rainbow flag pierce our hearts, move us to prayer, and move us to action in the name of our compassionate Savior who came to seek and save souls broken and corrupted by sin.
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