By Pastor Dennis Morales

Matthew 14:14 “…He was moved with compassion for them.”

I was walking through a hospital today and I became moved.  As I saw many people in their rooms suffering from sickness and disease, I was moved to pray for their healing and comfort.   I thought about how Jesus saw the people and had compassion on them.

Compassion is a word which means “to suffer with.”  The Bible also uses the word “sympathize,” which means to “be touched with feeling.”   It’s a sense of feeling what the other person is feeling, and going through it with them.

My dad is currently fighting the battle of his life with cancer.  As with any disease, it hit our family hard and without notice.  But without fail, the Lord seems to put people in my dad’s path who have survived cancer to encourage him.  A survivor once told me that they can immediately recognize anyone who is battling the disease, because they know what it means to have been in the fight.  There is a special encouragement that comes from people who have traveled the road you’re on.

When Jesus passed through the crowds of people, He had compassion on them.  He is able to see past the surface.  He knows what many may try to hide.  The Bible says we have a High Priest who can sympathize with us (Hebrews 4:15).

Whatever the situation, Jesus wants to go through it with you.  But you have to allow Him into your life first.  He endured rejection, pain, and even death so that He may sympathize with you.

Calvary Chapel Eastvale meets Sundays, 10:30 a.m., at Clara Barton Elementary (7437 Corona Valley Ave., Eastvale). Visit their website athttp://www.CalvaryEastvale.org.