Joni And Friends Daily Devotional 9 July 2022 | Saturday Message
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TOPIC: God’s Compassion
SCRIPTURE: As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. – Psalm 103:13 (NIV)
Is God concerned about the details of your life? Does he care about the “little things”?
Maybe you’ve shaped words like those in your heart—if not on your lips—during the course of a busy day at home or the office. Piles of dishes need to be loaded. The washer leaks a big soapy puddle on the floor—and you’ve got guests coming in an hour. Your best friend seemed cold on the phone and you can’t figure out why.
Little things.
Nobody else seems to notice or pay that much mind…so why should God? After all, isn’t he the God of the big things? Isn’t he the One who spoke swirling galaxies into the vast frontiers of space. Isn’t he the One, as Isaiah wrote, who
Has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
And marked off the heavens with a span,
Enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure,
And weighed the mountains in scales,
And the hills in a balance?
40:12; ESV
Why should this great, awesome God notice the tears that come to my eyes this morning at breakfast—when no one else noticed? Why should the Creator of the universe care about the worries that kept me awake until 2:00 a.m.? Why should the mighty Sovereign of eternity be concerned about the fact that I’m late for an appointment and can’t find a parking place?
Sure, the Bible says he has compassion for his people. But isn’t that sort of a “general” compassion for mankind? Isn’t that an arms-length kind of compassion? Like a multi-millionaire might feel when he writes out a check for an anonymous poor child living on the other side of the world.(Joni And Friends Daily Devotional 9 July 2022)
Just how intimately is God involved in our small, petty problems?
Again and again I go back to David’s words in Psalm 103:
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
v. 13; NIV
This verse gives us an idea just how and in what way God expresses his compassion for me. It isn’t the compassion of a distant king…or a distracted executive. The kind of compassion God has is the intimate, heartfelt compassion of a father.
I remember my father having that kind of compassion with me. Often when my dad would be busy at his easel, mixing oils and painting on his big canvas, I’d be sitting on the floor at his side with my crayons and coloring book—working just as hard as he was. And even though he was intent on his work, he’d look down at me and smile. And sometimes he’d set his brushes aside, reach down and lift me into his lap.
Then he’d fix my hand on one of his brushes and enfold his larger, stronger hand around mine. Ever so gently, he would guide my hand and the brush, dipping it into the palette, mixing the burnt umbers and raw siennas and stroking the wet, shiny paint on the canvas before us.
And I would watch in amazement as, together, we made something beautiful.
I look back on that scene, even these many years later, and find myself warmed by the intimate, emotional compassion my father had for me.
This is the kind of love our God has for us! Father love. The kind, gentle compassion of a dad who deeply cares for his sons and daughters. Maybe you never had a dad like that, but you do have such a Father.
No, God is not so preoccupied with the running of his big universe that your problems and concerns—even the little ones—somehow escape his notice. The Lord Jesus assured us that “every hair of your head is numbered.” So if your problems today are piling so high that you feel ready to stumble beneath the weight of them, stop and take Peter’s good advice to
“cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7; NIV
Let God’s big hand close gently over yours. With his help, even the discouraging crayon scribbles of your life can become a masterpiece.
Nothing would delight a father’s heart more.
Thank you for reading Joni And Friends Daily Devotional 9 July 2022, Saturday