Principle
Lessons on Compassion
God cares for hurting people, and He helps us care for them too.
4 lessons
Big Feelings: Taking Them to GodBig Feelings: SadnessGenesis 21:8-21; Genesis 16:7-13; Psalm 34:18; John 4:13-14Hagar and her son Ishmael had to leave Abraham's family. They wandered in the desert until their water ran out. Hagar sat down and cried. But God heard! He called to her, "Don't be afraid." Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. Years before, Hagar had called God "the God who sees me." Sadness is a big feeling we can take to God. He sees us, hears us and comes close when we're hurting.Old TestamentCompassion
Kings and ProphetsJonah Runs from GodJonah 1:1-17; Jonah 2:1-10; Jonah 3:1-10; Jonah 4:1-11Jonah ran from God's call to Nineveh, but God chased him, rescued him with a big fish, and showed His great compassion to a whole city that turned from evil.Old TestamentCompassion
Do Not Weep: Jesus and the Widow of NainLuke 7:11-17; 1 Kings 17:17-24; Numbers 19:11; John 11:25Jesus and His disciples, with a big crowd, came near the town of Nain. At the town gate they met a funeral. A widow's only son had died, and she was walking behind his coffin, crying. No one asked Jesus for help. But when the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her. "Do not weep," He said. He touched the coffin and said, "Young man, I tell you, get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Everyone praised God – "God has visited His people!" Compassion means seeing someone's hurt, caring and coming close to help, the way Jesus does.New TestamentCompassion
Jesus the KingThe Good SamaritanLuke 10:25-37; 2 Chronicles 28:8-15When an expert in the law asked, "Who is my neighbor?", Jesus told a story about a Samaritan who stopped to care for a hurt stranger, and said, "Go and do likewise."New TestamentCompassion