5 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Exodus 1-3
Matthew 15:29-16:12

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Matthew 15:32 (CSB): “Jesus called his disciples and said, ‘I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with me three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, otherwise they might collapse on the way.'”

Reflecting on God’s Word

Sometimes, God feels like He’s a million miles away. This feeling is particularly disheartening when we are in need. We are hurting, anxious, or perplexed, and we crave to know that God has not abandoned us.

But let’s go a bit further. Even if we are convinced that God has not abandoned us, we might wonder if He really cares. If we aren’t careful, we will embrace a stoic view of God and see Him as merely logical without feelings. This isn’t a merely philosophical point because if God is only logical and does not feel any emotions toward us, then does He genuinely care when I hurt? Is His “heart” touched with my grief?

This is one of the many reasons that we are so glad Jesus came to earth! While maintaining His deity, He also became fully man. One of the many benefits of this is that we get to see how God would act in our world.

In the verse I have chosen, we observe that Jesus had “compassion on the crowd” of people. Further, we learn that He was concerned that they “might collapse on the way” back to their homes.

We are told that these thousands of people had been with Jesus for a few days, and they now had no food. Maybe they had eaten in the previous three days, and maybe they hadn’t. In a country (U.S.A.) where we are putting food in our mouths at all times of the day, we cannot imagine not eating for a day or two (fasting). However, as someone who has been on an 8-day fast, I realize that you generally feel a bit weak and tired, but you don’t feel like passing out.

So, when Jesus said that the people in His presence had no food and they “might collapse on the way,” He was going overboard. He wasn’t telling them, “Suck it up, buttercup! Others have it so much harder than you!” No! Instead, He treated them like children that He dearly cared for.

And that’s why He used the word “compassion” to describe his feelings as He looked at the crowd. The word “compassion” in the original language means to feel such deep affection for someone that you feel it in your gut. It is an emotional affection that is so powerful that it affects you physically.

Well, my friend, when we look at Jesus, we can see how our Heavenly Father relates to us.

John 14:9 (CSB): “Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”?'”

Do you want to know how deeply God is moved by your needs? Do you want to see how much He cares for you when things aren’t going well for you? Just look at Jesus!

And don’t allow your mind to play tricks on you by saying that Jesus behaved a different way on earth than He does in Heaven. While Jesus was fully human while He was here, He was also simultaneously fully God. He lived a perfect life as God. So, He wept (John 11:35) as God as He looked at the hurting people around Lazarus’ tomb and entered into their hurt. He cared deeply (Matthew 15:23) as God as He saw people who were hungry and needed to make a trip back home without food.

As Jesus has taken up His place beside the Father in Heaven, nothing has changed. He still cares just as deeply.

So, the next time you are going through a difficult time, and you wonder if God really cares about you and your plight, look back to Matthew 15 and realize that He cares much more than you could imagine.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you learn from His Word about just how much God loves you and is moved with compassion when you are in need.
  • Ask God to help you believe those biblical truths so deeply that you experience the reality of them (and Him!) during your times of need.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into an understanding of God’s compassion for us, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“How is God full of compassion (Psalm 112:4)?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)