Devotions: Full Compassion

We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

James 5:11 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The story of Job is one full of suffering. He lost everything except his wife and his life in one day. Eventually he even lost his health, and his wife and friends abused him to his face, assuming his troubles were the result of his actions. On the surface, it is not a story that inspires ideas of God’s compassion and mercy, especially since those who have the Bible (and can read the story) know that God willingly allowed it all. How is that compassionate and merciful? We have to remember that every good thing we have and experience is a gift from God. We deserve nothing good, only suffering. We forget how horrible our every sin is, offensive to God and worthy of wrath. We forget that God is also perfectly just, and no one is truly innocent. No amount of suffering is truly undeserved, nor is God at all unjust in allowing it. Yet God is full of compassion and mercy. We often experience goodness and mercy, and are forgiven for sin for which we should suffer but don’t. Job knew all of this. He knew that while there was no particular sin he had committed to bring it on, God was still just in allowing it. He knew that God is sovereign and good, and entrusted his life to Him. In the end, Job did enjoy overwhelming compassion and mercy: everything he lost was replaced, some of it doubly. God doesn’t allow suffering because He is cruel, but because He is just. In the midst of His justice, though, He is still full of compassion and mercy. He is far more patient with us than we deserve, far more than we are with others. His level of compassion and mercy are truly beyond our comprehension. Remember that His compassion and mercy are a gift, one we could never deserve. Ask Him to fill you with gratitude and remembrance for His many acts of compassion and mercy in your life. We cannot give compassion unless we truly understand God’s.

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