38. Wala ka sa Lolo ko. Jesus is his Lord and Savior, the Compassionate God, abounding in love. Amen.

12 October 2020

David Prays for Deliverance, 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld • Public domain

Mark 8

Jesus Feeds the  Four Thousand

2 “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.”

Mark 8

1 During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 

2 “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 

3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”

8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 

9 About four thousand were present.

Mark 6

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 

42 They all ate and were satisfied, 

43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 

44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

Biblegateway.com says the words compassion and compassionate appear 82 times in the NIV Bible.

Among the first of the 82 verses:

Exodus 34

6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”

Here is something I just googled, from Our Daily Bread, By:  David H. Roper.

“I sometimes ask people, “Where does it say in the Bible, ‘God helps those who help themselves’?” Most say they’re not sure, but the concept is so familiar that they think it must be somewhere in God’s Word.

Actually, the Bible doesn’t say that at all. It tells us just the opposite: God helps the helpless.”

It's not difficult for us to show compassion for others, especially if material help is needed and we can afford to supply the need.

It could be rather more difficult for us imagine ourselves needing compassion, especially if we are materially blessed.

Let me share something I wrote 18 September 2018.

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“God helps those who help themselves, right? Wrong.

God's word teaches us to depend on him for our daily needs, for everything.

Everything means everything, even the strength to earn a living and make us feel accomplished, including ability to "help ourselves" - gifts from our Creator, our Father, who loves us beyond what our mind can fathom.

Don't worry about tomorrow.....God is already there.

Our parents want success for us; we want success and present it to our parents for them to love us at same time show our love for them. We "help ourselves" to earn love and show love.

Yet when we can afford material gifts for our parents or love ones, we spend less time with them, being busy "helping ourselves" to earn and afford more gifts.

Love is affection, not gifts.

Love is a hug, love is sweet nothings; yes, spending time with love ones about sweet nothings; a child talking with his Abba Father.

This is especially for God, our Creator, our Father. He is not waiting on us for any gifts, for us to offer our success. He is waiting for a hug, for us spending time with Him about sweet nothings. He is waiting for our show of affection.

Haggai 2:8 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

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“Prayer and helplessness are inseparable. Only he who is helpless can truly pray. Your helplessness is your best prayer.”— Ole Hallesby

Let's read it again.

“God helps the helpless.”

“Only he who is helpless can truly pray. Your helplessness is your best prayer.”

You can reread it over and over.

We can only come to God in true prayer when we are helpless.

Have you experienced being really helpless? That you can say you really did pray?

I have experienced being really helpless.

It was when I would say it mattered a lot, when my children were to start college, and I was out of work, with no money and the stress made me sick, to the point I was sick of myself.

Maybe I must have read it even before I became a Christian. “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). It was terrible feeling inutile.

I grew thinking I know how to pray, having gone to Catholic school up to Grade 3, able to lead recited prayer.

Yet, my five years of famine and severe affliction changed my prayer life radically. Let me say I was in anguish.

I find consolation reading the Book of Psalms, the Book of Job and Lamentations, among others. In the Psalms are the prayers of David, the man after God's own heart.

The reference verses pertain to two miracles of feeding multitudes. “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.” (Mark 8:2)

The fact that I am still alive today and that my children all finished college are miracles, evidence of the Lord's compassion on me and my family.

 I remember my affliction and my wandering,

    the bitterness and the gall.

I well remember them,

    and my soul is downcast within me.

Yet this I call to mind

    and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

    for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:19-23)

My disappointments are God's appointment. Amen.

Indeed one day, my children's children will say, wala ka sa Lolo ko, Jesus is his Lord and Savior, the Compassionate God, abounding in love. Amen.

Recently, I got reconnected with a friend who I now consider a brother. He mentioned his misgiving for his older brother who wants a bigger share of inheritance. This friend said such burden on his heart would at times awaken him from his sleep. I told him, I do not have a house and that's the least of my worries, having been rock bottom, everything else is a bonus to me. He has a house with a swimming pool, I advised him to surrender such kind of helplessness to God, and just have a good sleep. He said earlier that he had angioplasty few years ago. My prayer is that this friend experience God's compassion. Compassion begets compassion.

Psalm 34

Of David.

⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

May you have been blessed. Kindly share this message with any friend whom you think is experiencing helplessness.

The Lord bless the work of our hands. Amen.