God’s Compassion

I didn’t like Sadie. My colleague was often rude to me, so I avoided her. So when she heard about an evangelistic meeting in my church and asked if she could go with me, I was indifferent. “I’ll see,” I mumbled.

Days passed, and the topic seemed forgotten. But God hadn’t forgotten. I could feel His gaze, waiting for me to reach out to Sadie. One day, while I was praying, a question pervaded my thoughts: Think about your response to Sadie. Is it right?

Ouch! The question reminded me of what God asked the prophet Jonah after the people of Nineveh repented: “Is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4). Jonah had warned the Ninevites of God’s judgment for their sin (3:1-4). Strangely, however, when they repented and God “did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened” (v. 10), “this seemed very wrong” to Jonah “and he became angry” (4:1). He believed that the cruel enemies of Israel had gotten off easily (vv. 1-3) and deserved punishment.

But God corrected Jonah, pointing out his lack of compassion for the Ninevites, who had no true spiritual understanding (vv. 5-11). God, “gracious and compassionate . . . slow to anger and abounding in love” (v. 2), cares about the welfare of all people, no matter what they’ve done. Let’s extend God’s compassion to others too—helping them to know and love Him.