Morning Devotional:
It was a punch in the gut kind of day with the best reminder that God was with me the whole time.
Yesterday was not the greatest day I could have had. A couple of events late in the day left me feeling sad and weak and very much defeated in my faith. When I went to the Lord about it at the end of the day, the one thing I kept saying to the Lord was, “God, I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut.”
At a loss for the right scripture to ease my very wounded soul, I did what I normally don’t do and wouldn’t necessarily recommend. I turned to Google. On a whim, I searched the phrase, “God, I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut” and what came back was the perfect word to minister to my broken heart.
Splagchnizomai.
I love learning a good Greek word and this one met me right where I needed it. The root of the word refers to intestinal organs, and splagchnizomai means to be moved so deeply by something that you feel it in the pit of your stomach. We see the word used in Mark chapter 8 when Jesus is moved with compassion for a crowd. The good Samaritan in Luke 10 had splagchnizomai for the man left half dead on the road. And the father in Luke 15 showed great splagchnizomai toward his prodigal son when he made his way home. I quickly realized the gut punch I was feeling last night was nothing compared to the pull of compassion and love my Lord was feeling for me and that made everything okay.
Whatever you’re going through, know that God’s love and compassion are toward you today, from deep within His very being.
Beth
Burning Question:
What is a great life hack that you have learned?
Bible Quiz:
Storytime: Mercy Stacked the Deck in her favor