Written by Dynamis Ministries | November 13, 2025
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. –1 Corinthians 1:3
This is one of the greatest word pictures of God the Father in all of Scripture. The Apostle Paul describes God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who Jesus himself affirms when referencing his Father in heaven on many occasions. Yet, Paul goes beyond simply portraying the Father in relation to Jesus. He calls God the Father of compassion, who comforts us in all of our troubles. This marvelous truth touches our hearts and souls deeply. God is the Father of compassion!
Now, compassion is a big word. It’s a word we’re familiar with but may not truly understand. It’s related to words such as pity, sympathy or empathy, but it is distinguished from them by one main thing:
action.
To have pity on someone is simply to acknowledge their suffering. To have sympathy is to care about their suffering. To have empathy is the ability to feel what they are going through—to “step into their shoes.” Compassion takes all of that a step further. It’s not just acknowledging, caring and feeling for someone’s suffering; compassion also involves taking action to relieve that suffering.
When Paul calls God the “Father of compassion,” he is saying that God cares so much about our suffering that he willingly enters into our stories to comfort us. Isn’t that amazing? The God of the universe has compassion that comforts both you and me! God comforts us out of his love and compassion, but did you catch that he also comforts us so we can share that comfort with the world?
We don’t have to look very hard to see that there’s a lack of this kind of compassion in the world. We’re all talk and very little walk. In ourselves and in our culture as a whole, we often see hardened hearts toward people who think or act differently from us, and we minimize their suffering. Rarely do we consider what others might be going through before rushing to judgment. We tend to think or speak hurtful and harsh words about others, whether in conversations, on social media or in news outlets. Let’s not conform to these patterns of the world; instead, let’s live like the Father and show compassion—compassion that begins with caring and moves to comforting!
As we grow in compassion for others, we may also notice that our generosity increases. That’s because generosity is fueled by compassion. When we care about someone’s suffering and want to do something about it, we’re more inclined to give our time, gifts and resources. During this season of your life, what is breaking your heart? It could be human trafficking, food insecurity, mental health issues, domestic violence or breakdowns in education. Whatever it is, let compassion move you and take action, allowing your generosity to flow. You will not only comfort those who are hurting but also reflect the image of God, the Father of compassion.
