Eyes on the Nations

A couple of months before each New Year, Paul (my husband) and I seek God for His word to us for the following year. We have had words like – Overflow – Others – and at the start of 2020 – the word God gave us was – Kindness. Didn’t we need a lot of kindness spread across the earth throughout COVID?

This year right up until a week into 2025 we still didn’t have a clear word, and you know it’s easy to grab what seems good, but a good word doesn’t always mean it is a God word. Nothing sat right with us until we were searching for a new devotional. It was here while we were looking, Paul found a devotion entitled four simple words which went straight into my spirit…

EYES ON THE NATIONS. 

I had to ask myself, ‘Why is this impacting me this way?’ I already have eyes on the nations. I am already passionate about the lost. However, I believe God was saying to me; “Deb I know you love the nations, I know you want to reach the nations, but are you willing to have your heart broken afresh for nations? To take a fresh look at having ‘Eyes on The Nations’ and what I am already doing in the earth?”

According to the Joshua Project (https://www.joshuaproject.net)- there are 3.4 billion unreached people in this world today. When we think of that number, it is easy to look at that vast multitude as a cluster of people and become overwhelmed, but what about if we looked at the ONE. 

To truly grasp God’s heart for each one of the 3.4 billion people, who sees them as individuals He created, we have to think of the one – the one in our family who is yet to encounter the Lord, and is heading for a lost eternity. For me, that thought tears my heart apart. It impacts me personally. What about you? Think of those in your family who you desperately don’t want to go into eternity without Christ. I am sure your heart breaks. God’s heart breaks EQUALLY for your family member as His heart breaks for those 3.4 billion. 

Several years ago – God gave me a glimpse into His heart for each ONE when I spoke at a Women’s Conference in Sri Lanka. The place was jammed packed with around 1000 women and it was easy to see just the crowd rather than individuals. As we were heading to morning tea between sessions, God told me to stay seated, (I was in the front row), and not go to morning tea, but instead to look into the faces of as many women as possible going past me so I could get a glimpse of how He saw them.

It only took a few moments before I found myself totally undone. These women weren’t lost, they were saved, but they had lived through the conflict of war, and God saw them as individuals, each of whom He loved fiercely. As I sat there looking into as many faces as was possible, I began to get a glimpse of how God saw each one of those ladies, and how much He loved and cared about them. He said to me; ‘I see each one and I hear each one’s heart. I know each one by name.’

GOD’S HEART BREAKS FOR HIS PEOPLE. BECAUSE GOD LOVES HIS PEOPLE.

There are a few things I believe God is wanting us all to look at afresh when we think of the lost. It is found in this very familiar scripture from John 3:16 -17.

John 3:16-17 (MSG)This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.

Let me break it down here as to what I believe God is saying to us.

For God so loved the world

God so loved the nations, the unreached people groups in this world, and our family members, that His heart breaks for each one.

Are we willing to have our hearts broken again afresh for lost? Are we willing to carry this weight in every message we present to our congregation, to our work colleagues, and those in our world who are yet to know Christ? If His heart breaks for the lost, our hearts should surely break too.

That He gave His Son, His one and only Son. 

At this point – there was an adjustment in heaven that took place – Jesus was sent from His home on assignment from His comfortable place in heaven for each of us.

Are we willing to get uncomfortable for the sake of the lost? We may need to adjust some things in our life for the sake of those going to a lost eternity. Are we willing to change, adjust, do whatever it takes, to do what God speaks into our hearts to do in order to reach out to the unsaved – both in nations that are far, and nations that God has brought onto our doorstep?

And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.

According to the WORLDOMETER – the last time I checked, so far this year – 2025 – over 37,000,000 deaths have occurred – 143,000 just in one day. 

The Gospel is simple and it’s free, but it’s not simple, nor free (in many places) to get it to where it needs to go. My point – may we continue to be motivated to keep the lost in front of us and sacrifice where we need – having our hearts aligned with God’s heart for the nations.

FINALLY

God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.

God came to help to put the world right again. We can look at the state of the world and be overwhelmed by what is not right about it, but God’s promise is to make it right again. For the world to be right again (which is to reach the lost), it doesn’t start with the external happenings around the place, it begins internally with us. We have the Holy Spirit’s power within us, and we are Jesus fragrance carriers. What we carry is life giving. It’s not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit – says the Lord.  

IN CLOSING – Are we open to: 

• Allowing God to break our hearts afresh for the lost. 
• Getting uncomfortable – whatever that looks like – whatever we have to do. 
• Staying motivated with the WHY – so none will perish.
• Staying aware of what we carry as we minister where we are called as we keep our EYES ON THE NATIONS.

Deb