Because

 

When judgments
come about

it is a time
to mourn

not to delight
in another’s pain

or laugh at them
in scorn.

You establish a right heart attitude at all times.

“For thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you clapped your hands, stomped your feet and rejoiced in heart with all your disdain for the land of Israel, indeed therefore, I will stretch out My hand against you . . .’ “. Ezekiel 25:6,7 NKJV

Moved With Compassion

“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd.”  Matthew 9:36 NKJV

Jesus was not overwhelmed by the multitudes and their needs.

Thank You, Lord, for Your compassion upon us.  And here’s a simple poem . . .

Please fill me
with Your compassion

for the weary
and their needs

that I may be sent
into Your harvest

laboring as Your
hands and feet.

God bless you as He moves you today!

But Flesh

“But He, being full of compassion, forgave
their iniquity . . .
For He remembered that they were but flesh,
A breath that passes away and does
not come again.”  Psalms 78:38, 39

A friend received a tough prognosis from her doctor.

Lord, thank You for knowing the number of our days and all that they will be filled with.  And here’s a simple poem . ..

Fleeting

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O God of mercy
compassion and grace

help us this day
as we seek Your face

for You know that we
are but fleeting flesh

give us strength to live out
the days we have left.

What God Can’t Endure

“So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.” Judges 10:16

Hard-heartedness is a human condition.

Oh Lord, we desire compassionate hearts and lives that respond to the misery of others. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Taking In Misery

Bring my heart
to look upon
those in misery
this day
that it might break
and turn to You
embracing their pain
as I pray.

He Will Gather

“If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you.” Deuteronomy 30:4

Modern day Israel is seeing this happen, as those of Jewish descent continue to make aliyah, returning to their promised home land. (The featured guest writer, J of Jerusalem, made aliyah 16 years ago from Alaska. How’s that for a “farthest parts”?)

Oh Lord, we thank You that even those who seem to be the furthest from You, You will gather and bring close. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Bringing You Back

There is no where you can go
where I won’t seek you

no place you can be driven
from which I won’t draw you back

to gather you with compassion
into the land I promised

for you to take possession
of all that you have lacked.

Zealous One

“Phineas . . .has turned back My wrath, from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.” Numbers 25:11

For some reason, the word “zeal” scares me a little. But maybe the lack of zeal is what should really scare me.

Thank You, O God, for sending us Your zealous Son to be pierced for our sins, turning back the outcome of a life apart from You. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Turning Back

Zealous for His Father
Jesus never once
compromised holiness
compassionately cleansing
the plague
of our flesh.

Moved With Compassion

“And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude, and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.”  Matthew 14:14

In the verses before this, Jesus had left by boat to be alone.  He’d heard John the Baptist had been beheaded.

O Lord, fill me with compassion even when it’s not easy or convenient.  And here’s a simple poem . . .

Held There

I long to be alone
– to check out and slip away
but the needs of those around me
– compel me yet to stay
to see them through Your eyes
– doing all that I can
for I, too, am held
– in the Compassionate One’s hand.