the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Voice of the Lord
Praised be God, Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, compassionate Father (2 Corinthians 1:3).
Rabbi Sha'ul's (Saul's; i.e., Paul's) description of God as the "compassionate Father" recalls in my mind the words of Yedid Nefesh, the beautiful prayer recited just before the arrival of Shabbat (the Sabbath): "Beloved of the soul, compassionate Father, your servant will run like the deer, he will bow down before your splendor."
We are drawn to God because he is the "compassionate Father," but how well do we really understand compassion? We define God's compassion as guarding us from all trouble, but Scripture defines it as God's drawing near to us during trouble. If we respond to our trials by running toward God, as the prayer says, we learn that he is indeed the "beloved of our souls," there to sustain us in difficult times.
Likewise, the Lord is the "God of all encouragement and comfort" (2Cor. 1:3b). The original Greek wording here suggests that he comes alongside us to strengthen us, to be our advocate in the midst of trial. God does not shield us from all trouble, but draws near to us through trouble, so that we learn to depend more fully upon him. Then we are able to comfort others with God's comfort, not by trying to smooth over their pain, but by doing what God does: drawing alongside, staying close, and listening carefully.
...respond to trouble not by questioning God's goodness, but by turning toward him as he draws close to me.
RR
The Voice of the Lord, Copyright © 1998 by the Lewis and Harriet Lederer Foundation, Inc. Published by Messianic Jewish Publishers, Distributed by Messianic Jewish Resources, www.messianicjewish.net. All rights reserved. Used by permission. No part of this article may be reproduced in print or on the web, or transmitted in any form, without the written permission of the publisher.
