The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 145:9,
"The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made."
As this verse communicates, compassion is a disposition that is frequently attributed to the Lord throughout the Scriptures. In just the prior verse we read, "The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love." In Psalm 116:5 we read, "The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion."
Merriam-Webster defines compassion as, "sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it". As Psalm 116 tells us, the Lord is filled with this disposition toward us!
I can think of no more wonderful expression of this than in Hebrews 4:14-16, "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
I find it unfathomable that the Lord is able to "empathize with our weaknesses". And, beyond his empathy in understanding our weaknesses and pain, he holds a desire to mitigate that weakness and pain - and has acted on it!
In the cross of Jesus Christ we see the ultimate expression of compassion as he hung on that cross to pay the penalty for our sins that we might have eternal life in him! All he asks is that we embrace him in faith.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made."
As this verse communicates, compassion is a disposition that is frequently attributed to the Lord throughout the Scriptures. In just the prior verse we read, "The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love." In Psalm 116:5 we read, "The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion."
Merriam-Webster defines compassion as, "sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it". As Psalm 116 tells us, the Lord is filled with this disposition toward us!
I can think of no more wonderful expression of this than in Hebrews 4:14-16, "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
I find it unfathomable that the Lord is able to "empathize with our weaknesses". And, beyond his empathy in understanding our weaknesses and pain, he holds a desire to mitigate that weakness and pain - and has acted on it!
In the cross of Jesus Christ we see the ultimate expression of compassion as he hung on that cross to pay the penalty for our sins that we might have eternal life in him! All he asks is that we embrace him in faith.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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