Psalms 89:1-10

David’s cries for help fill the pages of the Psalms. His prayers are a blend of requests and
worship recalling God’s greatness, love, power, and protection. Praying with recognition of
God’s amazing attributes reminds us He has the wisdom, strength, and compassion to meet all
our needs. Here are examples of this type of prayer:

• “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” (Ps. 139:7). God
is everywhere. He’s not limited by time or space—we are never away from His awareness for a
single moment. So, even when we feel isolated or friendless, we’re not alone.

• “Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite” (Ps. 147:5). God
knows everything. When we bend our knees to pray to Him, He’s already aware of the feelings
and needs we’re about to mention. So we can be certain that when we ask for direction, He’ll
provide clear guidance if we’re submitted to His will.

• “As for me, I shall call upon God ... the one who sits enthroned from of old ... with whom there
is no change” (Ps. 55:16, 19). God’s character is constant. Since we can always trust He’ll be
faithful, reliable, and merciful, we can place our confidence in Him no matter the situation.

When believers recall an attribute of God that meets their needs, they place the focus of their
prayers on the Lord rather than on the request. By mixing praise into our prayers, we end up
asking for less, worshipping better, and receiving more because our emphasis is in the right
place.

Bible in One Year: Exodus 19-21

Hebrews 4:14-16

What brings you comfort when you are suffering or going through stressful times? Although
well-meaning friends may assure you that everything will be all right, the person who truly
comforts is the one who puts an arm around your shoulder and says, “I’m familiar with the pain
you are feeling, and I know it hurts.”

Jesus is that kind of comforter for us. He came to earth as a human, experienced pain and
suffering, and faced temptation without giving in to sin. He comes alongside to help us by
being ...

Our Friend. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John
15:13). Jesus isn’t a companion in word only; He demonstrated that He is the best possible friend
because He willingly went to the cross to save us from our sins. He sacrificed Himself for us so
we could be with Him forever.

Our High Priest. He became the Mediator between holy God and sinful mankind by offering
His own blood as a sacrifice to reconcile us to the Father. Now we have immediate access to God
in time of need.

Our Intercessor. Jesus sits at the Father’s right hand, interceding for us. We don’t always pray
correctly, but what a comfort to know that the One who is perfect speaks to the Father on our
behalf.

On whom do you lean during difficult times? Although people may disappoint us with quick-fix
responses to our hurt, Jesus Christ understands our pain and offers unlimited compassion and
help when we come to Him.

Bible in One Year: 2 Kings 10-12

We may think that the bigger a church is, the more it pleases God. But the truth is, He’s far more
interested in people than buildings. Creation testifies to this fact. The Lord didn’t create the earth
simply to be admired for its beauty, but to be the ideal habitat for the crowning glory of His
creation—humankind.

When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He also focused on people. Wherever He went, He
ministered to those with physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. So doesn’t it make sense that
people should be our priority as well? As believers, we are called to build each other up (1 Thess.
5:11) and bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2). Yet many Christians have developed a “sponge”
attitude. They go to church and attend Bible studies, soaking up spiritual truths, yet they never
squeeze anything out onto others. God’s Word should change us, and in turn, affect others as we
minister to them.

If we’re not careful, we can go through life with blinders on, forgetting that people around us are
suffering. Some Christians are quick to claim, “Well, I don’t have the spiritual gift of mercy, so
this doesn’t apply to me.” But believers aren’t exempt from the responsibility of spiritual
practices, and all of God’s children should be growing in these areas.

If we’re going to learn to be empathetic, we must see others’ situations from their perspective
and feel their emotions. Hurting people recognize whether our attempts to comfort are genuine
care that flows from an understanding heart, or merely shallow words. We recognize how Jesus
could minister with true compassion. After all, He is God. But how in the world are ordinary
people supposed to reach out the way He did?

Acknowledge the value of suffering.

One of the Lord’s most surprising and effective ways of developing empathy in us is through
suffering. The Bible says God is “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us
in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the
comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:3-4).

Although no one enjoys going through difficulty or pain, who better to empathize with a hurting
person than someone who has walked through a dark valley and come out on the other side?
Because we’ve shared a similar painful experience, we can assure others that the Lord is
sufficient in every situation. All of us who desire to be used by God must submit to brokenness
and recognize that ease, comfort, and pleasure aren’t His only plans for our life. He saved us to
minister to others, and becoming more empathetic is an integral part of that calling.

Recognize when others are in need.

If we’re going to be effective in expressing empathy, we must first recognize the emotional and
spiritual condition of those we’re trying to help. As we walk in the Spirit, living in submission to
His authority and being in tune with His still, small voice, He’ll give us the spiritual discernment
to view people and their situations from God’s perspective. The Holy Spirit will also touch our
emotions, giving us compassion for the hurting and love for the unlovable.

Part of seeing people as God views them is recognizing their potential. When Christ looked at a
person, He saw not only the one standing before Him but also the one he or she could potentially
become. For example, when Jesus met Peter, the fisherman, He saw a leader of His church. He
recognized that Saul, the persecutor, would one day become the evangelistic missionary. That’s
why we should never label anyone as a hopeless case. At times, just knowing that someone sees
their potential can lift people out of despair and motivate them to become mighty forces in the
kingdom of God.

Reach out to help.

In order to build up and encourage others, we need to reach out to them personally. Too often,
we try to connect distantly or conveniently through text messages, emails, or even phone calls.
But nothing can replace the effectiveness of face-to-face personal interaction. Only then can we
see body language and facial expressions that reveal what’s truly going on in the heart. When
Jesus reached out to meet people’s needs, He connected on three levels: mentally, by assessing
their condition; emotionally, by showing compassion; and physically, by alleviating their
suffering.

If we desire to be used by God, we must submit to brokenness and recognize that ease,
comfort, and pleasure aren’t His only plans for our life.

Be ready to give.

Next, we must be prepared to meet the needs of those who are going through difficulties.
However, this requires great spiritual discernment because the most obvious need may not be the
most important one. It seems as if the compassionate response would be to alleviate their pain or
help them get out of a bad situation. But sometimes God has a purpose to work out in their lives
through the trial.

When Jesus was in the country of the Gerasenes, He met a demon-possessed man whose
appearance and behavior might have seemed like the major problem (Luke 8:26-35): he was
naked, covered in wounds, and screaming wildly. If Jesus had told His disciples to attend to the
man’s immediate needs by quickly clothing him, asking him to sit down quietly to eat a meal and
talk about what’s bothering him, there would have been chaos. What’s worse, the man would
have stayed in his desperate condition. But Jesus met him at the point of his deepest need—
spiritual deliverance. After He cast out the demons, everything else fell into place. Like Christ,
we have to remember that our good intentions to make people feel better may actually get in the
way. But we can’t go wrong when we help them with their spiritual needs.

Make use of difficulties.

We’ve all experienced situations when our needs have been so overwhelming that the only thing
we could do was ask for help. But that’s not where God wants us to stay. Once we’ve moved
through suffering and received His comfort, He wants us to become comforters to others, thereby
completing the cycle of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. After helping a person walk through a dark valley,
the next step is to challenge him to use that suffering to help someone else. That’s what Jesus did
after delivering the demon-possessed man. He told him, “Return to your house and describe what
great things God has done for you” (Luke 8:39).

Investing in others’ lives is not always easy, and on occasion it can be quite costly. It requires
time and emotional energy, but Christ has given us a promise in Luke 6:38: “Give, and it will be
given to you.” This verse isn’t speaking just about money. The Lord will multiply whatever you
give in service to Him. If you sacrifice your time to help someone, He’ll give you adequate time
for whatever else He knows you need to do. If ministering to someone leaves you emotionally
exhausted, He promises renewal. Giving ourselves away to others is not a life of deprivation but
one of spiritual growth, joy, and fulfillment

Related Topics:  Encouragement