COMPASSION
by Lahry Sibley
Isaiah 54:5 For your Maker is your Husband””the Lord of hosts is His name””and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth He is called.
6 For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken, grieved in spirit, and heartsore””even a wife [wooed and won] in youth, when she is [later] refused and scorned, says your God.
7 For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion and mercy I will gather you [to Me] again.
8 In a little burst of wrath I hid My face from you for a moment, but with age-enduring love and kindness I will have compassion and mercy on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer.
9 For this is like the days of Noah to Me; as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.
10 For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Beloved, I cannot speak for you. But for myself, were HE not compassionate, I would have been discarded like chaff into the fire oh so long ago. Oh how I need HIS compassion and mercy, even to make it one more day. I've been so unchristlike so many times in sooooo many ways. Even with HIS grace and empowerment I know I can't even come near HIS level of excellence, holiness, and purity.
I need HIS salvation, compassion, and mercy more than ever before. Ever before. To say other that this, would be a lie. It is HIS compassion that sent my LORD to the CROSS, to satisfy HIS own justice. THAT JUSTICE HAS BEEN SATISFIED. HE said so. It was all HIS doing, HIS will, HIS purpose, HIS salvation. And HE has given it to me, a gift. "Lahry, I give you salvation." THANK YOU LORD. I will try to honor YOUR LOVE, COMPASSION, MERCY, AND GRACE, as best I can. But my best is never close to what you really expect and deserve. Will you please receive the righteousness of my REDEEMER? Save me, entirely, or I am eternally lost.
Oh I read our text above from Isaiah the beloved, and my heart swells with hope. Hope in Your LOVE, MERCY, GRACE, LONG SUFFERING, AND KINDNESS. COMPASSION!!!!
Compassion - sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others
HE empowers HIS compassion, with mercy and grace. Long suffering and kindness, because HIS sacrifice for me was sufficient to the uttermost. Nothing added. NO THING ADDED. FINISHED. Oh can we worship HIM together today? Can we just give HIM glory? Can we just step down from our soap box ranting about this or that? Can we just regress into worship, and linger there? How can I/we not worship, when we focus on HIS goodness? If HE divorced Israel, but had compassion on them. But here in Isaiah HE says not only Israel, but gentiles also. That's me! That may be you also. Will you just give up all of these religious notions and frustrations and rest all in HIS FINISHED WORK AT THE CROSS?
So much of our ranting is unbelief. There is NO REST IN IT. Such a passion to proclaim that we lack faith, and that in our striving to reassure others, we try to encourage our own lack of faith. WITHOUT FAITH THERE IS NO REST IN HIM. Give it up! This striving so hard, to do what is impossible for us to do and what HE has already done. How dumb is that? Me I'm talking too. Me!!!!!! DUMB!!!!! Dumb as a brick. Settle it today Lahry. REST IN HIM. Settle it today, my brother and sister. REST IN HIM.