COMPASSION

God, your God, is above all a compassionate God. (Deuteronomy 4:29-31, MSG)

This verse makes me want to sit down and homestead. I want to bookmark it to return to when I'm discouraged, to meditate on it so that it becomes part of my psyche.

Maybe the desire comes from my recent study on the blessings and curses associated with the covenant. God keeps telling Israel how good they have it, how right and fair the laws are, how many reasons why they should be glad.  But knowing their tendency to sin, He also warns them of the consequences.

So this verse serves as a lighthouse, shedding light and hope and a way home for those who are lost in son.

Above all, Your God is a compassionate God.

Above all implies that ore than any other quality God possesses, He is compassionate first. Compassion: feeling with someone else, especially wanting to relieve their suffering. His compassion is superior to human understanding or expression of compassion, and without equal in being able to alleviate our suffering.

My God is compassionate. We are "in relationship." I'm not appealing to some stranger. I'm appealing to the God who chose me as His own.

He is compassionate. Com+passion: He feels our passion with us.  The incarnation, Jesus becoming man, is the greatest expression of His compassion. Jesus became man to know our weaknesses.

There is no sin so bad that God will not forgive it. Yes, our choices put barriers between us and God. But God's overruling compassion made a way to restore us to Him: His Son died on the cross to take away our sin, and He will willingly forgive us for our sins whenever we ask.

We can't outrun God or drive Him away.
He won't let us.