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- Oct 26, 2007
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"He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. "Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Deuteronomy 10:18-19 NKJV
The memory of the Israelites’ past as slaves in Egypt was traumatic, humiliating, and painful. Who could blame them for leaving those painful memories behind?
Although the Lord took great pity on Israel’s pain and suffering while they were in slavery, He also wanted the Israelites to use that pain to help them look on foreigners in their own land with compassion. When they remembered what it was like to live at the mercy of a foreign people or to depend on those who had plenty, they were far more likely to care for the most vulnerable members of their society: the widows, the fatherless, and the foreigners.
Your own pain is worth remembering and thinking about both because God desires to heal it and because He can change your heart toward others. Just as Jesus identified with humanity during His passion on the cross, you will identify with others when you remember how you felt at your most hopeless and most vulnerable moments. It may end up that you can be the answer to someone else’s prayers.
Prayer: Lord, heal the pain of my past and give me a heart of compassion and mercy to those who need them most.
The memory of the Israelites’ past as slaves in Egypt was traumatic, humiliating, and painful. Who could blame them for leaving those painful memories behind?
Although the Lord took great pity on Israel’s pain and suffering while they were in slavery, He also wanted the Israelites to use that pain to help them look on foreigners in their own land with compassion. When they remembered what it was like to live at the mercy of a foreign people or to depend on those who had plenty, they were far more likely to care for the most vulnerable members of their society: the widows, the fatherless, and the foreigners.
Your own pain is worth remembering and thinking about both because God desires to heal it and because He can change your heart toward others. Just as Jesus identified with humanity during His passion on the cross, you will identify with others when you remember how you felt at your most hopeless and most vulnerable moments. It may end up that you can be the answer to someone else’s prayers.
Prayer: Lord, heal the pain of my past and give me a heart of compassion and mercy to those who need them most.
