GOD IS FULL OF COMPASSION

Proclamation:

“The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”  Psalm 116:5 (NIV)

Explanation:

Although the human author of this psalm is unknown, it was clearly written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The psalmist loves The Lord because He heard his cry for mercy. (Psalm 116:1-2)  He was overcome by distress and sorrow (Psalm 116:3) and The Lord saved him. (Psalm 116:6)  Then he asked the rhetorical question, “What shall I return to The Lord for all His goodness to me?” (Psalm 116:12)  He answers his own question by saying, “I will fulfill my vows to The Lord in the presence of all His people.” (Psalm 116:14 and 18) 

Application:

The sentence that begins with the phrase “God is …” can be completed in so many ways.  The Bible offers hundreds of statements which include that phrase.  However, God has only revealed a small part of who He is in The Bible.  We only know some of His attributes.  Our limited human capacity for understanding cannot fully comprehend all of who God is.  We know that He is all knowing, all powerful, and everywhere all at the same time but we do not fully appreciate that.  We cannot even adequately express all that He is to us or all that He has done for us.  We know that He is always with us, even though we don’t act like it.  We know that He is our refuge and strength and is our help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)  We know that He is full of compassion and love for us because before we loved Him, while we were lost in sin, He sent His only Son to die for us so that we might have the choice of salvation. (John 3:16 and Romans 5:8)  We should praise God publicly for that if for nothing else.  As the song says, “God is the joy and the strength of my life … God is my all and all.”