Devotion: Zechariah
Zechariah 7:8-10
And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: This is what the Lord Almighty said: “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.”
The First Step: Give Me Eyes To See
Zechariah was chosen to deliver a hard message. Amid great destruction, Zechariah told the people how God wanted them to treat each other. I am sure Zechariah felt uncomfortable delivering a message about what the people could do for others when all they wanted and needed was for God to help and comfort them.
I don’t know about you, but when my life is a mess, being kind to others is the LAST thing on my mind. Although my situation is nothing like what those in Zechariah’s time experienced, when my home is messy and needs cleaning, showing love and kindness to others is not a high priority. I want others to help me with my housework. I don’t have time for helping others. I don’t even see that others need my help; I am too absorbed in my own problems. When my personal life is a disaster or there are troubles in my family, I don’t have the energy to be kind; I am too focused on my own pain. Zechariah must have faced this same kind of reaction to his prophecy.
And yet, this is what God is calling us to do. God asks us to move outside of ourselves to alleviate the hurt, pain, loss or mess that someone else is experiencing. God puts people in our lives that we can help but often we cannot even see them. Just like the individuals in the Good Samaritan story, we may walk right past the person God has placed in our path, oblivious to their condition and not inclined to help.
The first step, then, is to ask God to give us eyes to see those individuals that need our mercy and compassion. Next, we must ask God to give us a compassionate spirit and helping heart so we will be able to deliver the mercy and compassion that is needed. And finally, God can help us take action that will help to bring love and healing to a hurting individual. The message, then, is one of love. For showing mercy and compassion is exhibiting the deepest kind of love.
When you truly see those in need and you help alleviate the hurt in someone else, you become blessed; your problems seem minor and you are more able to cope– with God’s help. In addition, God will use your kindness and compassion in the most amazing ways, changing your life and the life of the person you helped.
Dear Heavenly Father, give us eyes to see those that need our kindness and mercy. Show us how to be compassionate, kind and forgiving as we minister to others. Help us know the actions we should take that will bring glory to you and will show Your deep love and caring. In your holy and precious name, Amen.
Written by Julie Johnson