The Compassionate and Gracious God

The miracles of Jesus display the compassion of God. Think we sometimes wonder if He cares. We know that He is able. Ok, maybe some of us. But even then we wonder if He's really ok with healing our struggles / pains / meeting our needs. But He did not turn away all those who needed his help.

So i think we need to be refreshed in our knowledge sometimes of His sheer goodness. His response to those who cried out to Him was not: "Are you doing the right thing by asking Me for healing / how do you know that this would be for your good? / Are your motives pure in asking Me..." (tho He knew the hearts of all men). But it was simply: "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" Wow. His generosity and kindness and compassion really know no bound! "YHWH, YHWH, the compassionate and gracious God..." This is how God began His description of himself to Moses when He caused all his goodness to pass before Moses... Not mighty. Not powerful. Not even holy. But when it came to displaying His goodness... He highlighted compassion and graciousness as the most significant attributes of His goodness. His goodness is His glory.

Think God sees our heart's cries and is greatly compassionate. He may not always respond immediately, but His heart is always there for His children, and He is able.

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So don't be afraid to ask God for any need. You might think it self-centered. But strangely, Jesus commanded us to ask God boldly for our daily bread and needs like little children. And the way that He ended his sermon... if we don't practice, among other things, asking God for our needs, we will be like the man who built his house on sand.

How much do you pray? You need to pray like you need to breathe. Don't expect spiritual victories or lasting growth without prayer. If you don't see the need to pray more than you now do, then you need to see whether you really have faith in the God of the Bible...

Don't settle for a false sense of spirituality like Ahaz in Isaiah 7:11-13.

Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, "Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights."

But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test."

Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?"

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