APRIL 21
Psalm 79:8, “Let your compassion come speedily to meet us.”
As the chaplain for our local fire department, I carried both a scanner and a beeper—tools that alerted me whenever there was a call for help. One morning, I heard the crackle of the scanner announce a car accident near our home. My heart skipped a beat. My older daughter had just left for town, and something in me tensed. Rushing to the scene, my worst fears were confirmed—her car lay upside down in a ditch. To my overwhelming relief, she was already out of the vehicle, shaken but safe. A firefighter friend, who had arrived within minutes, was by her side, offering help and reassurance. It turned out a spilled coffee had caused the accident. Though the situation could have been far worse, I was deeply grateful—for her safety, for the speed of that response, and for the compassion shown in a moment when it mattered most.
The Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem left the temple desecrated and the city in ruins. The bodies of God’s people lay unburied in the streets, their flesh mere food for the birds and beasts. Israel became a mockery of the surrounding nations. Amid such devastation, the psalmist cried out for God’s intervention that He would restrain His anger and show compassion by coming to their aid.
As with the psalmist, the prophet Jeremiah lamented that same destruction. Overwhelmed with grief, he became despondent (Lamentations 3:19-20). But when he turned his thoughts to God, he recalled an important truth: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end” (Lamentations 3:21). In that truth about God, Jeremiah found hope. Needy and even tragic circumstances often accompany life in this broken world. But no matter how dire the situation, there is a God who has a heart full of compassion and who can come to our aid, with the cross of Christ reminding us of how much He cares! We do well to look to Him in time of need (1 Peter 5:7).
Nowhere is God’s compassion more radiant than at the cross, at which Jesus came to our rescue!
Application Questions: When have you experienced a moment of fear or helplessness, and how did God intervene? The psalmist and Jeremiah both cried out to God in their suffering. How do you typically respond to pain or chaos in your life? Do you find it easy or hard to turn to God in those moments?
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