HE IS VERY PITIFUL

 

Thursday, November 30, 2023

 

HE IS VERY PITIFUL

 

James 5:11

11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

 

          James both convicts and then comforts me this morning. You see, in all my 77 years I have not found the ability to be patient. I am not patient and reminding me of Job doesn’t help. So, the Lord must be both pitiful and merciful which, of course, He is.

 

          The Greek word for pitiful is a jumble of letters. It is polusplagchnos and means “to be compassionate” but it sounds like an unintelligible sob. The word mercy is oiktirmon and means the same thing. When we consider the Hebrew word for mercy it is almost exclusively the word racham which is more descriptive. It means “to fondle” as a parent would comfort a child, stroking his face and drying his tears.

 

          The Warrior is a Child is a song recorded by Twila Paris. One particular line speaks to the reality of our relationship with our abba, our Father. There are days when we need to crawl up into the lap of the Lord and let Him comfort us.

 

I drop my sword and cry for just a while

'Cause deep inside this armor the warrior is a child

 

Dear Lord, I don’t always feel victorious. Some days I feel wounded and discouraged. Thank you for being tender, compassionate, merciful, and pitiful. AMEN