The Tenderness Of God - Part 1

It's good to worship God for His majesty, power and splendour, but it’s helpful, too, to consider other facets of His nature.  A few weeks ago at church we were reminded of His compassion for us, and His nearness to us, in three concepts:

• God has such tenderness for us as His children
• He is not far away and out of sight, when we are in need, but He is right in the midst of our situation, experiencing it with us
• We are never to forget that He is our Father, and always available to us

It might be interesting to expand a little on this theme, focussing on the very personal nature of His involvement in our lives.

God’s Tenderness Towards Us

Have you ever heard the plaintive, wistful cry of a parent who has lost a son in armed conflict, “I wish it could have been me, instead of him” ?  Or the mother of a young victim of violence and rape, “If only I could have taken her place! I would have done it willingly.” ?  God is like that … In fact, He did exactly that, when Jesus died on the Cross for each of us, taking all our wrongdoing and suffering onto Himself.  This is the pinnacle of His all-encompassing love for us, and it overflows into our daily lives.

In the face of this amazing sacrifice, then, how can we imagine that He might not be interested in our troubles?  Should we not run to His arms whenever we are hurt, perplexed or simply in need of reassurance or direction?  Is He not waiting, arms outstretched, for us to come and, figuratively speaking, sit on His knee?  We can be assured of His welcome; He says, 'All whom My Father gives (entrusts) to Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me]'.  (John 6:37 Amplified).  That means you and I!  'Never, no never …' will He reject one who comes to Him.  He created us, He died for us … He delights in us, and longs for us to see Him as the true parent He is.

(Of course, there are times when we must stand as soldiers in spiritual warfare, with God as our Warrior King, our champion; but that, perhaps, is food for a separate discourse; we are concerned here with the gentler aspects of His nature).
 
One who knew our Lord Jesus intimately said of Him: ‘The Lord is full of pity and compassion and tenderness and mercy’ (James 5:11 Amplified). The Apostle James had had plenty of opportunity to witness His character firsthand, and knew what he was talking about.  He and the other disciples watched as Jesus gently touched lepers and outcasts; they heard Him weep at His friend’s tomb, and saw Him stoop to lift a blind beggar from the dust, giving that man the gift he wanted most of all, so that he could literally look to the future…  Jesus Himself said, 'If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father' (John 14:9), telling us that He was simply portraying His Father the Creator’s character in Himself.  This is our God, our sympathetic Saviour.

'The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness …' (Psalm 145:8 Amplified). God has no anger for His children.  There is now – because of the Cross – no condemnation for those who trust Him as Saviour.  'The blessing of the Lord, it makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it' (Proverbs 10:22).  It is not God who brings trouble into our lives … it’s part of living in a broken world; but it is God who binds our wounds and shows us the way through and out of  our difficulties, if we listen to Him and take Him at His Word.  'He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young … [or those who are weary on their journey of life, who are feeling fragile]' (Isaiah 40:11).  The Way translation quotes Romans 8:26 in these lovely terms: 'His compassion matches our yearning; He is ever taking our human frailty by the hand'.

Have you come to Him, to find out His goodness, and His willingness to show you His love?  Psalm 34:8 says, 'Oh taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him'.  The psalmist is not suggesting that we try God out like a new product from a supermarket, but that we ‘Come and see’ where He lives – that is, what motivates Him to love us, how He really feels about His children and the world of people who are yet to find Him as their gentle Saviour.  Come and see how willing He is to provide for us and lead us into the experience of His fullness … how He has already planned a good future for us, both on this earth and in the world to come … how passionate He is about showing us how to live His life here and now.  He wants the best for us, but only on His terms – that is, we must allow Him into every area of our lives, so that He can help us. 

Give Him your full attention, so that He can give you His.

Stay blessed and highly favoured

Cath Foley