Hallelujah! My soul, praise the Lord. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. (Psalm 146:1-2)(HCSB)
Compassionate. Could that word be used to accurately describe you or the way you act towards others? What does it really mean anyway? My dictionary defines "compassionate" as: having or displaying compassion. So, what's compassion? "Compassion" is defined as: sympathetic concern for the suffering of another, together with the inclination to give aid or support or to show mercy. I'm not sure that I could truthfully say that I'm always very compassionate. In fact, I'll just be honest and admit that I know I'm not as compassionate as I should be most of the time. But I do know one person who is: God. And He is actually three Persons in One: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit---all of whom are loving and compassionate.
You know, Psalm 146 gives us some examples of God's compassion, but the Bible records evidence of His great compassion towards us throughout the Old and New Testament. We can see it demonstrated time and again in Jesus' ministry in the gospel accounts. He was constantly reaching out to those around Him with compassion, touching and healing those who were shunned and outcasts, loving children who were considered bothersome by others, showing true concern for "sinners" who were ridiculed by the religious elite, cleansing lepers who were defiled in the eyes of society, caring for the poor and the hungry who many simply ignored. Even in the midst of some of the greatest miracles recorded in the Bible, it's clear that Jesus' compassionate heart is what compelled Him to do the impossible. In Matt. 9:35-36 we read, "Then Jesus went to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like a sheep without a shepherd." (HCSB) So it's clear that Jesus ministered to the needy out of love and with great compassion. Let's take a quick look back at Psalm 146:6-9 and see some of the ways that our Lord is merciful and compassionate.
- vs.6--He remains faithful
- vs.7--He executes justice for the exploited, He gives food to the hungry, He frees prisoners
- vs.8--He opens the eyes of the blind, He raises up those who are oppressed, He loves the righteous
- vs.9--He protects foreigners, He helps orphans and widows, He frustrates the ways of the wicked
With a merciful God like ours, who is "gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love" (Joel 2:13), it's easy to echo the psalmist and say: I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. (Psalm 146:2)(HCSB)
Joey C.