COMPASSIONATE BEYOND MEASURE
But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
Psalm 86:15 (NLT)
A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”
Mark 1:40-41 (NLT)
Today, let’s remember that God is a God of all compassion.
When you think of compassion, you may be thinking about the way you treat your family, friends, strangers or even how someone has treated you. But what comes to mind when you think of God’s compassion? You may think of His tenderness, gentleness, care and unfailing love He has shown you. God pays very close attention to our lives and everything in them. Not even a hair on our heads can fall off without Him seeing it (Luke 12:7).
Throughout the gospels, Jesus showed compassion to others on numerous occasions. In the verse above, Jesus was deeply filled with compassion, and He answered the man’s requests. Jesus saw a need and met it.
God has deep compassion for our hurts, feelings, setbacks and suffering. He’s not standing idle, watching us go through life in pain and doing nothing. Just as an earthly father would, He is quick to come to our side and help us step by step. Think about when you were young and hurt yourself playing outside. Your parents came rushing to your side and cared for you without condition or anger. That’s genuine compassion. That’s the compassion Jesus modeled.
One moment that comes to mind of God showing His compassion in my life was when I was going through tough seasons of heightened anxiety. It was difficult to function, and I saw no end in sight. I met Jesus during my anxious moments, and I could feel His tender care each day as anxiety began to fade and faith began to grow. I prayed about everything, and He heard my plea for healing and help. I prayed and saw my anxiety slowly start to melt away.
APPLICATION: Ask God to fill your heart with an overflowing amount of compassion. He is compassionate beyond measure.
PRAYER: Lord, thank You for the deep compassion You have towards me. As I go forward today, help me show compassion to others and have the strength to do so even if I don’t feel like it. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?