June 11 – Regarding the Weak (Psalm 41:1-3)

“Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble.”(Psalm 41:1)

IN WORD:
Imagine having a child who doesn’t seem to care much for other people. He or she is completely absorbed in self-centered activities, always planning for personal gain, and never making any real sacrifices for anyone else. Even when confronted with desperate need, this child seems not to be moved.
How will you feel about this child when he is in trouble? As a parent, your sympathies will naturally lead you to take care of your child. But with what enthusiasm? If the child has demonstrated no feeling for others, you will likely have a strong desire for him to learn compassion.
On the other hand, how would you feel about a child who has gone out of his way to help everyone else? Your compassions are stirred for someone who is by nature compassionate. When a sympathetic person is in deep trouble, he has the sympathy of others to draw on.
So it is with God. He loves every one of us, even those who are cold hearted. But He delights in rescuing a compassionate person. If we rarely focus on others, God will often let us sit in our difficulties for a while until we learn how others have felt in their need.

IN DEED:
Those who have regard for the weak always have God’s sympathetic ear. The problem is that we get so completely wrapped up in our own agendas at times that we hardly notice the needs around us. It isn’t that we don’t care about other people; we just don’t care enough to feel their pain or even to notice their hardships. We’re too occupied with our own business.
In His mercy, God cares for our needs regardless of our level of compassion. But He cares for them more readily, more powerfully, and more demonstrably if we have demonstrated His nature toward others. Do we withhold grace? Then grace will be hard to find. Or are we examples of mercy? If so, we will have mercy in abundance.

“He who demands mercy and shows none, ruins the bridge over which he himself is to pass.” -Thomas Adams-