Have you ever thought about how no one owns the beach? The beach is my favorite place on earth, and I love that it’s available to all types of people from every possible background. No one can tell you to leave the beach. It isn’t private property; you have every right to be there.
So, who does it actually belong to?
The one who made it owns it. God, the heavenly Father, dreamed and created this wonderful place we call the beach. He decided where the water would stop, and the sand would begin. In the book of Job chapter 38, verse 11, God says to the waves of the sea, “You may come this far, but no farther, your proud waves stop here.” (CSB) All this beauty, calm, and peace I feel at the beach was intricately designed by my creator.
Why does this matter?
The crazy part is that God still allows us to use His beach even in our immense sin and rebellion. We are still allowed to enjoy His sun and waves. Sitting on the beach and watching people play and enjoy the blessing, not realizing or acknowledging where it comes from, speaks to me of God’s great compassion toward us.
One word the Bible uses multiple times to describe God is compassionate.
For me, the word compassion is easy to gloss over when reading the Bible. I’ve heard God described as compassionate for years, but I need to stop and think about what that word means. The Hebrew word is raham, and blueletterbible.org describes it as “to love, love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection, have compassion.”
More than a description of God, I appreciate it so much when it is used in connection to the actions of God.
The first time the word is used in the Bible is right before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God sent two angels to take Lot’s family out of the city before it was destroyed. Lot had already been warned, he had been told, but still, when the time came for them to leave….he hesitated.
Most of us would not have felt compassionate. I would be frustrated at that point. It’s like a child who refuses to listen, no matter how many warnings you give them.
Even in frustration, though, the Lord’s compassion worked in tandem with action. Genesis 33:19 says, “Because of the Lord’s compassion for him (Lot and his family), the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters. They brought him out and left him outside the city.”
Finding His Compassion…
Yes, the Lord is full of compassion, but it’s not just something he is. It is something he does! His compassion has action and purpose, affecting his actions for and with his people.
The Lord does not simply want us to know He is compassionate; he wants us to experience it. This is why he allows us to enjoy his blessings (like the beach). He wants us to dip our toes into his ocean of compassion, and feel it on our own two feet.
When I confess and repent of my sins, I strongly feel God’s compassion. He isn’t an angry Father shaking His finger at me in shame. Every time I come to my Heavenly Father to confess my sin, He reaches out His compassionate arms and covers me with His love.
It is instant forgiveness, instant compassion.
Oh, to know and experience the great compassion of God. He wants us to know and encounter it. Psalm 86:15 says, “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth.”
I am so thankful for the compassion and graciousness of God.
