Have you ever looked at the world to see what is driving it, what it has dreamed up in the way of worshiping God in some way? The whole creation is thirsting for God. Human history is but a burning thirst for God. “What do I care about God!” people say, and yet they go on to create their own gods anyway. And then they cry out for God’s mercy as soon as life overwhelms them.

Whether people are pagan, Muslim, or Christian, or find it impossible to believe, Jesus hears their cries. So suffer with those you meet, and love them. All the misery of this world stems from a deep thirst that results from living far away from God. The heavy load of sin that presses down on people with such satanic power leads millions into wrong and perverse ways, into dark paths of idolatry and sin, confusion and twisted thoughts about God. All the more, keep your heart open to hear their heartache.

Source: Everyone Belongs to God (Plough, 2015) pp. 84–85.