God's Compassion

             A lot is said about God’s mercy and grace, but little is said about His compassion.  Don’t get me wrong!  I praise and thank God every day for being a merciful and gracious God who sent His only Son to die for my sins.  There can be no greater gift.

            Yet, as I become closer to my Father, I can’t help but also marvel at His compassion.  Compassion has been defined as “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering” (Dictionary.com).

            Think about that for a moment.  One who is compassionate sees the distress and sorrow in another’s life and has great sympathy and a desire to end that suffering.  Now, consider that the God of the universe who knows that our sorrow and suffering is the direct result of sin being brought into this world, still has a deep desire to alleviate that pain.  He cares that much for each one of us!

            For me, the knowledge of His compassion provides an intimacy with Him that magnifies the extent of His love.  It is the peace that passes all understanding that brings consolation in those nights of pain and grief.  It is the tender nudging of the Holy Spirit when our life seems to be spinning out of control and we don’t know which way to turn.  It is the reminder that like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, God is not just waiting for us to return to Him, He is running towards us with open arms.  

            On several occasions, Jesus spoke of His compassion for the people because “they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9: 36 NIV84).  He saw their pain, but He didn’t just sympathize, he began to provide physical healing (Matthew 14:14) but He went to the cross to provide the spiritual healing that we all need.

            A few years ago, a friend of mine won a picture at a Christian convention.  It was a picture of Christ in a rocking chair, holding a baby, and the caption said, “Safe in the Arms of Jesus”.  Little did she know at the time, that several months later, her baby would be stillborn, and she would find great comfort that the child she never got to know was then safe in the arms of Jesus.  That’s Christ’s compassion.

            When I try to picture the compassion of God, I see a big rocking chair just like that, where I can just climb up on His lap and know that He will keep me safe.  He will carry me through any battle, and He will always be there with open arms to draw me to Himself.  Thankfully, He never gets tired of blessing us with His compassion. 

            Perhaps the writer of Lamentations says it best: “Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3: 22, 23 NIV84).

Isaiah 49: 13 - 16

II Corinthians 1: 3, 4

 

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