The God Who Sees & is Moved with Compassion

Matthew 25:35-40

Hello, friend! My squad has now been in Uganda, our last country on our race, for over a month now. As I was thinking about what I would write for my next blog, the Lord brought a testimony to mind to share with you!

As you might remember, in January, my squad was in Georgia for 2 weeks for training camp.

To be honest, training camp was a difficult time for me. Having every comfort and security I’ve ever known stripped away at the same time left me feeling alone, out of my depth, vulnerable, and uncomfortable. It also stirred up a lot of things from my past that I had thought I had healed from and dealt with but really hadn’t.

As the days passed, the cries of my heart changed from desiring what I knew, to an all-consuming desperation for the King of Kings as I realized that above all, I wanted Him.

In a moment of costly worship at the feet of the King of Kings, I decided that Jesus was worthy of everything that I am and everything I had to give.

The Lord met me where I was, saw me in my brokenness and pain, heard the desperate cry of a heart that didn’t want to miss Him, and was moved with compassion.

He did not pass me by!

He didn’t turn away as I became undone; in fact, He invited it. Welcomed it.

The next day, as I was reflecting on that moment of worship, the Lord gave me a vision of Him in that moment.

From where I had been kneeled on the floor in a room crowded with people, the Lord heard my cry and was moved by it. When He stopped in front of me, He rested a hand on top of my head, and then He, the King of Kings, knelt and wiped my tears away.

What a picture of tender love and compassion!

In 2 Corinthians 1:4 it says, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”

I bring up this testimony from training camp because on October 2nd, the Lord gave me an opportunity to do for someone else what He had done for me, to see and be moved into action with compassion.

~

That morning, Brice and I had walked to town to run some errands for our team. While we were walking, we saw a woman sitting on the side of the road. On our way back from the errands, she was still sitting there, so Brice and I walked over to talk with her and to pray.

Brice tried to talk to her and ask her name but she wouldn’t respond. Despite that, he decided to kneel down and pray for her. As he prayed, I prayed too but I kept having the urge to open my eyes and to look at her. Eventually, after the urge would not go away no matter how many times I tried to ignore it, I gave in and opened my eyes.

As I looked at her, I noticed how sickly and skinny she was. I could see every bone in her chest, count every rib. Her nose was running, her hands and feet were swollen (most likely from sitting in the same position for so long), and her lips were severely chapped. As she sat, she shook slightly, as if the exertion of keeping herself upright was almost too much to bear. I have never seen anyone in my life look as frail and weak as she did.

And her eyes. I will never forget them.

They held a depth of desolation unlike anything else. Her eyes were devoid of any hope and so dull, like there was barely any life left in her.

The longer I looked at her as Brice prayed, the more my heart broke and the more intense the compassion in my heart towards her became.

This was someone’s daughter (the King of King’s to be exact!!!), left alone to suffer in the hot sun in a pile of trash. Discarded, as if she didn’t have any value or wasn’t worthy of receiving tender love and care.

It was sickening to think of all of the times this woman had probably been passed by, desperate for someone to notice her.

How many times had people treated her as if she didn’t exist?

How many times had she been turned away when she was in need?

How many times had she hoped for someone to stop and help and no one did?

How many times had someone had the means to help and chose not to?

In that moment, I knew that the Lord had allowed our path to cross with hers for a reason, and I knew why He had wanted me to look at her and to see as He did.

It felt as though my heart burned for hers, with sorrow, compassion, and such a tender love, much like how I imagine His does for all of His children, but especially for those who are suffering.

He didn’t want our interaction with her to end at a prayer. The Lord was inviting us into more to help His daughter who desperately needed it. I knew it with such certainty deep in my spirit.

So, when Brice finished praying, I grabbed him and asked if he minded if we went back in the direction we had came, to a gas station that we had passed. The gas station did not have a lot of options for food but I figured something was better than nothing, so I bought some crackers, trail mix, and a bottle of water to give to her.

When we got back, I opened the water and the crackers and placed them by her. She immediately grabbed the water and drank some but it was clear that it was a struggle for her and before long, the bottle was back on the ground.

Even after giving her the snacks and the water, I still did not feel released to leave. I felt the urge to continue to stay and to press in. So, I sat down next to her, in the dirt and trash, and Brice sat on the other side.

We began to talk with her. She didn’t respond much, but I could see in her eyes that she was listening. After introducing ourselves and sharing a little bit of why we were in Uganda, I asked her if she believed in Jesus and if she knew who He was.

After a few moments, I felt the nudge in my Spirit again, but this time the Lord put it on my heart to ask Brice to share the Gospel with her.

I could visibly see each truth begin to pierce her heart, as he shared about a God who loved her dearly, who died for her, and knew her by name.

As he said that last bit, her eyes filled with tears and she tried to say, “My name is ____”. She was so weak that we could barely understand what she said and weren’t able to catch her name.

Brice and I continued to share the Good News, explain what it means to be a Christian and to be forgiven, how God loves us despite our sin, how she is a child of God, and how the King of Kings desires a relationship with her!

Brice shared with her the story of the centurion in Matthew 8 and Revelation 3:20. Then he began to share a testimony of how the Lord miraculously healed him after he was sick for 10 weeks.

Once he finished sharing, I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit to share a testimony from my life of a time when I did not believe that God was who He was said He was, and how He revealed Himself to me. As I was sharing that, a woman who had been watching us from across the street came up to us and explained that she worked at a restaurant. She asked me if we were hungry.

I told her that Brice and I had lunch waiting for us, but that I would buy some for our friend who we were still sitting next to. Eventually, that woman came back with some fish soup, pumpkin, rice, and matoke (cooked banana).

I set the bowl and plate in front of our friend but all she did was look at them. Despite her lack of movement, I knew she had to be hungry. It was very clear that it had been a long time since she had a meal.

Then an idea popped into my head (courtesy of the Holy Spirit) as I realized that maybe she didn’t have the strength or coordination to pick up the fork and feed herself. I told her that if she wasn’t hungry and didn’t want food, she did not have to open her mouth. But, if she was hungry and didn’t have the strength to feed herself, to open her mouth and I would help.

I put some pumpkin on a fork and gently brought it to her mouth, and she opened it! I then spent the next 20 minutes next to her alternating between feeding her and helping her drink water. As I fed her, Brice continued to share more of the Bible with her, including the story of the prodigal son!

Once she had her fill, I helped her clean her mouth with some tissues that I had in my purse. We then talked with her a little longer but Brice had to get back home for a baptism he was helping with so we had to head back.

Despite that, I still did not feel released to leave. And again, I felt that nudge of compassion impress itself upon my heart, as if the Lord was saying He still had more for me to do.

After praying for her one last time, I told her that we lived nearby and that we have friends who are Ugandan. I told her that we were going to talk with them and see what else we could do to help her.

Before we left, since there was no shade and she was sitting directly in the hot African sun, Brice gave her his bucket hat to try to keep her cool.

Once we got back, I found one of the sons of our host who had been helping us and explained the situation to him. He wasn’t able to make a decision on how to help the woman we had found without our host, Reverend. Our host’s family was hesitant to help the woman we had found because in Uganda, if someone dies in your care, you will be arrested immediately, even if you are not at fault.

The more I went back and forth with them, the more the Lord impressed it on my heart to continue to fight for her and to help her get her the help she needed.

It was finally decided that our host’s son would try to talk with the woman himself on our way to ministry that afternoon, because of that, our whole team then became involved.

Our host’s son tried talking to her but even though she had perked up a little since eating food, she was still too weak to talk. He then decided that she was too sick for us to help and that she needed to go to a hospital.

Again, the Lord tugged on my heart and so I asked if we could take her ourselves. He thought about it for a few seconds and then said he was going to talk to some men from across the street to see if they knew anything about the woman we had found.

While they were doing that, Brice and I continued to sit with the woman and share more of the Bible with her. I helped her drink some more water and she drank the rest of the bottle! About 15 minutes later, he came back and said that we needed to talk to the chief of the neighborhood for permission to take her to the hospital. Brice and I stayed with her as our friends left to go talk to him.

They were able to get a yes and found someone with a car who agreed to help us. Before helping her get into the car, I explained the situation to her and that we were going to help her go to the hospital. Brice then asked her if she was okay with it, and she responded with one of the clearest words we heard her speak, and said “okay.”

Brice then picked her up and put her in the passenger seat of the van and the rest of us piled into the back. Finally, after about 40 minutes of waiting in the parking lot, we were able to take her into the hospital and admit her. During that process, they were able to figure out that her name was Ruth!

Because she was so dirty, the hospital needed to bathe her first before being able to run any tests. In order to do so, I had to buy her a dress so that she had clean clothes to change into.

Once the test results came back, it revealed that the only things wrong with Ruth was starvation and dehydration! Both of which, she would continue to stay at the hospital to receive treatment for.

Brice, Sarah, and I then went to a nearby store to buy some food for Ruth with our host, which his son brought back to her.

Through this encounter with Ruth, we were not only able to help her physically—with food, new clothes, and transportation and admission to a hospital, but we were also able to share what was eternal with her, the Gospel.

Praise God!

~

I share this testimony with you, not to boast of anything that is of my own doing, or Brice’s, but to testify of His mercy, compassion, and goodness, and share what He impressed upon my heart through being used as His vessel to care for His daughter.

In Matthew 5, Jesus explains to His disciples the idea that we are called to go beyond expectation in our service towards others. When we serve those around us, there is always a level that is acceptable for us to stop at, but in order to truly be His hands and feet and to reflect Him to the world around, we should be willing to do much more than that. To go two miles instead of just one (Matt. 5:41).

Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way trying to discourage you from praying for provision for those in need, in fact, I heavily encourage you to! It is good to be quick to pray for those we encounter. Prayer is powerful and 100% always something that we should do. There are times, however, when we are the answer to that prayer—perfectly and divinely placed by the Great I Am to meet and fill the need of His child!

In scripture, we see countless examples of times that Jesus Himself was moved with compassion towards those around Him. If Jesus was moved to help in this way by what He witnessed, than how much more important is it that we allow ourselves to be moved with radical compassion and love for what we witness in others?

Sometimes that help does come in the form of conversation and a prayer, but sometimes it also looks like providing food, water, money, clothes, giving someone a ride, or helping them to get the care they need physically or spiritually, and countless other things. But in order to do so, we must be careful not to ignore His nudge of compassion upon our hearts when it comes!

It can be uncomfortable to step out but think of how the person on the opposite side of your obedience might be blessed! The smallest of actions can be used by the Lord to have an enormous impact for His Kingdom!

I hope this testimony and what the Lord weighed on my heart through it encourages you in your walk to allow yourself to be moved to action with radical love and compassion!

If you would like to pray, please pray for Ruth!! That the Lord would continue to provide for her, that she would be restored to full health, that Christ-like people would be planted in her life, and that she would come to know Him as her personal Lord and Savior!!

Thank you for reading!!

God bless!!

Joyfully His,
Areonah

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Matthew 25:35-40