The Bible in Depth – #16

​Study Sixteen
 
The Compassion of God

So often unbelieves like to slap me in the face with this: “Well, if God is so great, why is there so much evil in the world? People are in pain and misery and are dying everywhere, but I don’t see Him doing anything about it. He must be a God who says one thing and does another.” I tell them to read Psalm 23, the one most kids had to memorize if they had any Sunday School experience at all.
 
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
 
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.
 
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:1–6).
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​This is a true picture of our God. He does only good to us and for us. He has compassion on us. He gave us this fabulous world to live on and to keep in order. Any evil, any disorder, anything outside of God is created by mankind. We are the ones who ruin a good thing.
 
8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. 9 The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works (Psalm 145:8, 9).
 
I admit, it is sometimes hard to see God through the window of pain, or disability, of lack of funds, and so on, but He is always there, working behind the scenes to bring the best into your life through His Word and His compassion.
 
Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people (Hebrews 2:17).
 
From the foundations of the earth, it was planned for Jesus to come to the earth as a man, laying aside His deity—after all, He was and still is the Son of God—so He could demonstrate righteousness to God’s precious creation: you and me. Jesus paid for all our sins; He paid for all our sicknesses, and He paid for our poverty.
 
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession (Hebrews 4:14).
 
I may not see the compassion of God at the moment I would like to see it, but I am convinced by the Word of God and by the experiences the Holy Spirit leads me through that His compassion is great and is greatly to be praised!
 
…and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (Ephesians 1:19).
 
Jesus taught us how to live with God’s power and how to use it for ourselves and for others. Power is something God has. It is not who He is. Who God is, is LOVE. He’s made out of love. He daily pours His love out on us. It is up to us to stand under the shower of His love and receive His love and compassion. That, in my opinion, is the best way to live. Believe! Receive! Spread it around! LOVE!
 
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:7, 8).