The Compassion of Christ

Christ’s Compassion.

JESUS COMMANDS THE CHURCH TO PRAY FOR THE HELPLESS TO BE RESCUED!

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.
36- When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37- He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.
38- So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.
Matthew 9:35-36

Prayer of Compassion--Quotes from E.M. Bounds
Here is the urgency of prayer enforced by the compassions of our Lord. It is prayer born of compassion for perishing humanity. Prayer is pressed on the church for laborers to be sent into the harvest of the Lord. The harvest will go to waste and perish without the laborers, while the laborers must be God-chosen, God-sent, and God-commissioned. But God does not send these laborers into his harvest without prayer. The failure of the laborers is owing to the failure of prayer. The scarcity of laborers in the harvest is due to the fact that the church fails to pray for laborers according to his command.
Prayer secures the laborers sufficient in quantity and in quality for all the needs of the harvest. God’s chosen laborers, God’s endowed laborers, and God’s thrust-forth laborers, are the only ones who will go, filled wih Christlike compassion and endued with Christlike power.
Quote from E.M. Bounds, taken from The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer, p.128-132.

FOR MONTHS, NEHEMIAH PRAYED WITH COMPASSION FOR JERUSALEM. GOD ANSWERED NEHEMIAH’S PRAYER OF COMPASSION. GOD PROVIDED FOR, EQUIPPED, AND SENT NEHEMIAH TO HELP JERUSALEM.

Nehemiah 1:1-11
1- These are the memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In late autumn, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year of King Artaerxes’ reign, I was at the fortress of Susa.
2- Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them abou the Jews who had returend there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem.
3- They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem, has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”
4- When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.
5- Then I said,
6- O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands,
6-listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.
8- “Please remember what you told your servant Moses ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations.
9- But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’
10- “The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants.
11- O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”
In those days I was the king’s cup bearer.

Nehemiah 2:1-9
1- Early the following spring, in the month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was serving the king his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence.
2- So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled.” Then I was terrified,
3-but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”
4-The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven,
5- I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”
6- The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request.
7- I also said to the king, “If it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah.
8- And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the kings’ forest, instructing him to give me timber, I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.” And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me.
9- When I came to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, I delivered the king’s letters to them. The king, I should add, had sent along army officers and horsemen to protect me.
10- But when Sanballat, the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of my arrival, they were very displeased that someone had come to help the people of Israel.

Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer in 445 B.C. Living in the Persian king’s palace in Susa (Iran) made of ivory, silver, and cedar; Nehemiah had 'it made'. However, Nehemiah, a righteous man, became burdened and grieved over the plight of Jerusalem. He prays and fasts for the town where his ancestors were buried. After six months Nehemiah sees the answer to his prayer. Perhaps in the beginning Nehemiah did not know that God would send him to rebuild Jerusalem. Nehemiah, a righteous compassionate man, was surrendered to God’s will. Nehemiah gave up his ‘good life’ to help those in great trouble and disgrace. Nehemiah did not shrink from the challenge of what he was about to face.

NEHEMIAH PRAYED, GOD HEARD, AND GOD ANSWERED WITH MORE THAN WE CAN THINK OR IMAGINE.

What do these verses tell us about Nehemiah.

1. Nehemiah mourned, prayed, and fasted night and day for months.
2. Nehemiah praised God.
3. Nehemiah knew that God kept his promises to those who love and obey Him.
4. He asked God to hear his prayer and see his diligence and compassion in prayer.
5. He repented of his sins and the sins of his family.
6. Nehemiah knew the Word of God and asked God to keep his promise to his people.
7. He acknowledged that the people who God rescued were God’s servants.
8. He asked God to hear the prayers of those who delight in honoring God.
9. After months of prayer Nehemiah asked the Lord for success and favor with the king.
10. Nehemiah asked God to put kindness toward him in the king’s heart.

LET US PRAY WITH GREAT COMPASSION FOR THE LOST!

Psalm 145:8-20
8-The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9- The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.
10- All of your works will thank you, Lord, and your faithful followers will praise you.
11- They will speak of the glory of your kingdom; they will give examples of your power.
12-They will tell about your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of your reign.
13-For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations.
The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.
14-The Lord helps the fallen, and lifts those bent beneath their loads.
15- The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it.
16-When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
17-The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness.
18- The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.
19- He grants the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them.
20 The Lord protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked.

CHRIST’S PEOPLE ON THEIR KNEES WITH CHRIST’S COMPASSION IN THEIR HEARTS FOR DYING AND NEEDY SOULS, PRAYING WITH ALL OF THEIR HEART FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES IS WHAT WE MUST DO. WE MUST PRAY FOR THE LORD TO SEND PEOPLE TO ALL CORNERS OF THIS EARTH AND TO REACH THE HOPELESS AND HURTING WITH THE LOVE OF CHRIST. REALIZE THAT IT MAY BE YOU THAT GOD WANTS TO SEND.

WESTERN MEADOWS HAS 475,000 FOLLOWERS. IF WE WILL PRAY AS NEHEMIAH PRAYED, GOD WILL HEAR, AND GOD WILL ANSWER. LET US REJOICE AND PRAISE OUR GREAT AND AWESOME GOD, FOR HE IS FULL OF COMPASSION AND READY TO HELP AND ANSWER THE CRIES OF DISTRESS HEARD AROUND THE WORLD.

Several years ago we went through an area where herds of buffalo roamed freely. Crazy enough, I prayed and asked God to put a big buffalo bull right in front of us so I could take pictures to share with the world. And after a few miles around a turn Billy the Buffalo Bull stood next to the road. My husband says, “Well there is your buffalo!” He stood for about five minutes and let me photograph him. From the protection of our jeep Billy stood about 10 feet from us and I shot these pictures from the window. God is so cool!

There is absolutely no spiritual connotation about the buffalo--God just put him and me in the right place at the right time so you, God’s remnant around the world could see Billy the Buffalo Bull. Smile and enjoy God today.
And if God loves all of you enough to put Billy the buffalo bull right in my path for our enjoyment; what will He do for us when we pray for the lost and hurting? There are more pictures coming of this great animal in future posts--close ups--really close ups!