THE COMPASSION AND COMFORT OF THE FATHER
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
Psalm 103:13 (NIV)
God cares for you more than you know!
When I first became a follower of Christ, it was all new. I didn’t own a Bible, I knew nothing about prayer, and I’d only been to church a handful of times. God knew I was lost and confused, so He brought someone into my life to get me started and help me along the journey.
My life had become a real mess. I had bombed my education, damaged many friendships and was in debt over $20,000. The choices I’d been making for many years were ruining my life. It was time to make some difficult changes.
One of the hard decisions was selling the car that I absolutely loved. But without a car, I wouldn’t have been able to get to work. Surprisingly, my new friend offered me his car. He only asked that he borrow it from me on Friday mornings so he could run errands. Not only that but often, when I woke up to go to work, he had walked a mile from his house to my apartment to put notes and lunch on the front seat. There were also times when I came home, and he had been there to do my laundry and fill my refrigerator. This man became the father I never had, and I became the son he never had. It was through this father/son relationship that I came to learn the compassion and comfort of God.
God doesn’t want us to view Him as a Father who is cold, distant and difficult to relate to. He wants us to have a warm, affectionate, personal relationship with us. He wants us to recognize His gentle concern and care for us.
APPLICATION: Relax. Spend time today, allowing God to love you. Receive compassion and comfort from the Father into all your hurts and worries. Name them and invite Him into your life.
PRAYER: Father, I say yes to Your love. I put down my defenses and the ways I try to take care of myself without You. I trust You now to care for me in my troubles, and I pray You’d give me opportunities to comfort others with the love I receive from You. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?