And Abraham said, “Because I thought surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.” Genesis 20:11
There is no worse state for a nation or the Church to be in than to lose the fear of God. Someone once said, “I fear God, and next to God I chiefly fear him who does not fear God.” Those who do not fear God will lie to you, steal from you, and even kill you if they think they can get away with it. It is the fear of the Lord that causes man to depart from evil. Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell” (Matthew 10:28)
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Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, "Let me not see the death of the boy." So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept.
And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, "What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.
Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation."
Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. (Genesis 21:16-19)
It was love that drove Hagar to cry out to God for the child. How can love not compel us to lift up our voices and weep, given the impending deaths of multitudes around us? God has opened our eyes to see the wells of salvation in Christ, so we must lead sinners by the hand to Him who cried, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” (John 7:37)
I could abundantly justify compassion for dying men, even on the ground of natural feelings. A mother who did not, like Hagar, cry for her dying child—call her not ‘mother’ but ‘monster’. A man who passes through the scenes of misery which is present everywhere in this nation, and yet is never bothered by them, I dare to say he is unworthy of the name of ‘man’. Even the common sorrows of our race may well fill our eyes with tears, but the eternal sorrow, the infinite lake of misery—he who grieves not for this, write him down a demon, though he wear the image and appearance of a man.