Compassionate Father

But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. - Psalms 86:15

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"Compassion" is a combination of two words. In its verbal form, it means to "feel with." Compassion begins with love, of course. It also involves mercy, which means forgiveness where punishment is deserved. But compassion is not just a synonym for those other words, because it contains another ingredient that sets it apart from them. That element is understanding.

One thing that makes it so comforting to know God is your compassionate heavenly Father is the fact that you can be sure He is with you in whatever you're going through. Whatever you're feeling, He's feeling right along with you. You never need to ask, "Does God know what's going on with me?" Being your compassionate Father, it's going on with Him, too.

But His compassion is all the more precious because He not only knows, but also understands. As a matter of fact, He understands us better than we understand ourselves.

That fact comes to light time and again as we see God proclaiming and demonstrating His compassion through Christ's earth ministry. Jesus understood the woman at the well. He understood the woman caught in adultery. He understood the paralytic. He even understood those who crucified Him. He said they didn't know what they were doing, but He knew, and He knew why.

Time and again, Jesus showed mercy to those who deserved punishment, gave healing to those who had brought on their own ailments, and forgave those who were worthy of judgment. If you read between the lines of Scripture, you will see in each incident the element of understanding. He knew why people did the things they did. And He knows why you do the things you do.

As Psalm 103:14 says: For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.

He knows your weaknesses. He knows you're going to fail at times. Because you're under attack by supernatural spiritual forces, whether or not you realize it, He knows you will lose some battles. He even knows that sometimes, though He remembers you, you will not remember Him. And yet He still loves and forgives you. That's compassion.

The following verses all say something about God's compassion for you. Take one each day and let the Spirit show you something new and exciting about your heavenly Father's wonderful compassion. Exodus 33:19, Deuteronomy 32:6, Psalm 40:11, Psalm 51:1, Isaiah 54:10, Joel 2:13, James 5:11.

As you grow in your realization of God’s compassion for you, pray that He will use this special love and understanding to change you and give you a greater heart of compassion for other people. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring you into contact with people who have a special need for compassion. Then, in His wisdom, help them come to know God as their compassionate heavenly Father.

James Robison - Life Today <www.lifetoday.org>

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Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. - 1 Peter 3:8 NIV


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