Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today the Holy Spirit wants to help us see God’s compassionate vision.

Today’s scripture, Luke 7:12-15 (NLT), shares…
[12] A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. [13] When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. [14] Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” [15] Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Consider…
A Google search revealed the fact that Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering.

Another Google search let me know the difference between compassion and empathy.

Empathy is about feeling what another person is feeling, while compassion is about wanting to help someone who is suffering.

Empathy

• Involves understanding and sharing another person’s feelings
• Can be a catalyst for change
• Can lead to empathic distress, which can cause negative feelings and withdrawal

Compassion

• Involves showing kindness and support
• Involves taking action to help someone
• Motivates people to make a positive difference
• Can lead to a sense of purpose and improved coping with stressful situations

Between the definitions and differentiation, it occurred to me that while empathy sits on the sidelines of suffering, compassion changes the game.

That understanding makes me think of Exodus 3:7-8 (NLT), which shares…
[7] Then the LORD told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. [8] So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.

Notice God didn’t stop with awareness of His peoples’ suffering, He personally jumped in the game to change their situation.

Today someone may be feeling oppressed and crying out to God in distress like the Children of Israel in Egypt, He wants you to know that He’s aware of your suffering and will take care of you too.

Like the hymn says…

1 Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath his wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.

Refrain:
God will take care of you,
through ev’ry day, o’er all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.

2 Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail,
God will take care of you. [Refrain]

3 No matter what may be the test,
God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon his breast,
God will take care of you. [Refrain]

God gave me that hymn to remind us that He sees whatever we’re going through and He will take care of us.

When the Holy Spirit first inspired me to look at God’s compassionate vision, He originally reminded me that the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5000 began with Him seeing and having compassion. Matthew 14:13-14 (NLT)…
[13] As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. [14] Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

I like this, because it shows that when Jesus sees our needs, compassion causes Him to step in and help. That’s what Romans 5:6 (NLT) testifies…
[6] When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

The Holy Spirit also showed me that God’s compassionate vision causes Him to run to us when we return from our wandering ways. He helped me see this in Jesus’ prodigal son parable. Specifically in Luke 15:20 (NLT), Jesus said…
[20] “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

Notice the father saw his son and was filled with love and compassion.

This made me think that when God sees us coming to Him, regardless of what we’ve done, He’s filled with love and compassion and meets us where we are.

This revelation of God’s nature guided me to Psalms 103:7-13 (NLT), which testifies…
[7] He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. [8] The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. [9] He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. [10] He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. [11] For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. [12] He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. [13] The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

There it is, the Holy Spirit showed me that our Heavenly Father wants us to know that He compassionately sees and loves His children.

Today find encouragement in the fact that God compassionately sees the best in, and for, you because of who you are, His child.

Today’s song is…
He Saw The Best In Me

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)