As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord had compassion on those who fear him. Psalm 103:13
Words to ponder: Compassion and fear
According to the dictionary, to be compassionate is to feel sympathy and concern for others.
God is a God that is full of compassion to us. His creations. After creating the universe and us He said: It was good. In His eyes, we were good.
I am thinking when I made something and was very satisfied with what I made, then I take good care of that very thing. Well, God’s example is to take care of everything that He has made. As matter of fact, he entrusted us to take good care of His creation and I believe that it includes ourselves. But with his guidance and help.
That also includes having compassion for other people. Maybe small little things like opening a door for someone, listening, speak well of other people, be a shoulder to cry on, say encouraging words, give help financially or spare time to help, and use whatever resources that we have to ease the burden or pain of others. Pray for someone. Share God’s love. If we see someone who needs motivation, be a good example and motivate in kindness.
If we are compassionate, we will also forgive people that hurt us, insult us, or use us. We will be patient and understanding. We will persevere with others who need our assistance.
But like I said, we should also have compassion for ourselves. It means that we should take care of our bodies. Eat healthy foods, rest, think nice thoughts, and that includes not holding a grudge against other people.
The other word in the verse is fear God.
In Proverb 9:10 it said: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
When I think how compassionate God is, for me to fear Him is to give Him respect in everything I do. To be mindful of what he is telling me to do. As He showed compassion on me, I should do the same for others too and myself. And to think that by fearing God, I will be given wisdom and insight. It is a gain gain situation then.
Fearing God makes me do things in line with His will. It makes me avoid sin. But my fear should be healthy. To think always that fearing God leads me to good deeds and it is for my benefit and others. To fear God with love.
I should not turn away from Him to satisfy my worldly desires like devote more time to FB, Netflix, TV, Instagram, or any time-consuming activity that steals my precious time with God. Or buying material things that can consume my thoughts, time, and energy. I should keep it in mind “ to seek his kingdom first and its righteousness, then everything will be added unto me”. Matthew 6:33
Prayer: Dear God, I thank You for being compassionate to us. Although we don’t deserve Your mercy and compassion, You did it anyhow. You showed compassion to Eva and Adam by clothing them when they felt their nakedness. You showed compassion to David when he commits adultery and murder. You sent Your only Son to die for us because of Your compassion. You forgave us countless times and still forgiving us.
Lord, I pray that we will not take Your compassion for granted. I pray that we will fear You in all our ways. Help us to live before You with a revering heart. To meditate on Your Word daily so that we will have the true knowledge of how to walk in Your will. That we will have a heart that fears you, not people, not the future or circumstances around us that are scary or the unknown future.
I thank You for your promise in Psalm 112 that blessed is the man (us who are upright) that fears You and finds delights in Your commands. Our children will be mighty in the land, the generation after us will be blessed. Wealth and honor will be in our house, and our righteousness will endure forever. And even in darkness, light dawns for us who are compassionate and righteous. Goodwill comes to us who is generous and lends freely and conducts our affairs with justice. And we will not be shaken. We will be remembered forever. We will not fear bad news, because our hearts are steadfast as we put our trust in You. All honor to Your name. This I pray, In Jesus powerful name. Amen