“But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth” (Psalm 86:15).
Have you ever found yourself in the belly of a great fish? Or maybe in the middle of a lion’s den or a fiery furnace? How about clinging to the deck of a ship that’s being tossed around in a storm or breaking up against a rocky reef? Have you ever gone into the blazing desert and crawled under a bush to cry and wait until you starved or thirsted to death?
Hopefully, none of these things has happened to you. Hopefully, you will never find yourself in a situation like any of them. But if you ever do, remember the God of the Bible, because the Bible tells us stories of people who did find themselves in those situations.
God shows compassion. He listens to repentant sinners and saves them out of their own trouble, because salvation belongs to Him. The prophet Jonah tells why he prayed to God when he was trapped in the belly of the great fish: “For I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness” (Jonah 4:2). God was correcting Jonah for his sinfulness and rebellion, but Jonah called upon God anyway, because he had reason to believe that God would show him compassion and mercy.
Are you in a difficult situation? Do you think nobody cares? If there are people who care, do you wonder if they could do anything to help? In times like that, it is important to remind yourself what the Bible reveals about the character and works of God: He is compassionate. He takes pity on us in our weakness, fear, sorrows, hardships, starving, persecution, grief, loss, or confusion. In fact, no one else could show you the kind of compassion and love that the Lord can, because He alone is God. If you need true compassion, then you need the Lord.
God cares for our needs, and He shows perfect compassion.
My response:
» Have I ever been in a situation that was too hard for me to bear?
» Since God is aware and cares about the times when I need Him most, do I trust Him and turn to Him?
» How can I be compassionate toward others as the Lord is compassionate with me?