You are Yahweh, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and changed his name to Abraham. You found his heart faithful in Your sight and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites – to give it to his descendants. You have kept your promise, for You are righteous. But they were disobedient and rebelled against You. They flung Your law behind their backs and killed Your prophets who warned them to turn back to You. They committed terrible blasphemies. So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. In their time of distress, they cried out to You, and You heard from heaven. In Your abundant compassion You gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the power of their enemies. You were patient with them for many years, and Your Spirit warned them through your prophets, but they would not listen. Therefore, You handed them over to the surrounding peoples. However, in Your abundant compassion, You did not destroy them or abandon them, for You are a gracious and compassionate God. Nehemiah 9: 7-8, 26-27, 30-31
My words…
Praise
Lord, I praise You for Your wisdom in selecting one man in whose ancestors would make up Your chosen people. What a privilege to be chosen by You! Supernatural exhibitions of Your power unfolded before this people. Their sandals were not caked in mud as they walked across the Red Sea bed, for the ground was completely dry even though a wall of water stood on their right and left. Wafery bread appeared on the ground each morning as they traveled through a land without a ready food source. Fortified stone walls crumbled at the sound of trumpets and shouting. A giant fell down dead at the hands of a teenager with a sling. I could go on and on, but I don’t need to. You were there! You loved this people. You instituted a set of rules for them and promised, “If you follow these rules, I promise to bless you.” These rules – this law – was intended to set Your people apart from those living around them. You have always been devoted to the concept of Your people being set apart – being wholly identifiable as Yours. And when they were – good stuff happened. More often than not, however, they weren’t, and You watched Your law being flung behind their backs as they adopted the reprehensible lifestyle of their pagan neighbors. They flung away the opportunity to be blessed by You. How foolish. And they paid for that decision. Every time. When they returned to You, bruised and contrite, You opened Your arms of compassion and welcomed them in. Every time. You are the God who is really good at showing Your people compassion – You had to do it often enough. And that is why I praise You today. You are the God of compassion. I can’t think of what the world would be like if You weren’t.
Prayer for me
So, I give the chosen Israelites a lot of grief. They witnessed firsthand the manifestations of Your power – all of the mighty works of Your hands I read about in the law and prophets. And still, they did not feel compelled by awe, by love, or by duty to “just say no” to hedonism. “If I would have seen what they saw,” I say to myself, “I would never have turned away from God. Never!” But in truth, I have no idea what I would have done. Knowing me, I would have grown tired of all of the sacrifices and just left all that up to the Levites. In time, I would have forgotten about the Red Sea and the crumbling walls, and the conquered enemies. I would have been the one needing Your compassion. How do I know this? Because You have given me a much simpler, straight forward set of rules to follow (love Me, love others), and I still live through times when I fling those behind my back and do what I want. You’re really good at showing me compassion. You’ve had to do it often enough. And I greatly desire it.
Forgive me
By showing me compassion, You are teaching me how to be compassionate to others. Your Spirit is the best teacher! But I am an unwilling student at times. Forgive me when I bask in the warmth of Your compassion then turn around and coldly refuse to offer it to others.
Thank You
Thank You for extending Your arms of compassion around Your wayward, repentant sons and daughters. You’ve been doing it over and over since creation. I thank You, especially, that You do not tire in doing so.
More praise
Oh God, you wear compassion like a cloak, ready to drape it over the shoulders of Your beloved. This cloak is not scratchy or thin or ill-fitting; it is soothing and ample and custom-made. I have worn it many times. I worship You, the tailor of compassion.
