LET JESUS BE THE FIRST TO HAVE MERCY ON YOU

by Dorcas Kulwa | 29 March 2020 08:46 pm03

LET JESUS BE THE FIRST TO HAVE MERCY ON YOU
Always let Jesus be the first to show you mercy!

Greetings to you in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is natural for each of us to care about our own needs first. There is no sin in self-care, but it does not make us appear significant before God. True spiritual maturity is shown when we prioritize seeking God’s face above our own comfort and convenience.

There was a time when the Lord Jesus called together a very large crowd. Perhaps the town could not accommodate so many people, or perhaps the urban conditions were unsuitable for effective teaching. So Jesus chose a more remote location outside the city—a desolate wilderness with no homes, no prepared tents, and no shade. This choice itself carries theological meaning: it demonstrates that encountering God often requires leaving comfort zones and trusting Him in inconvenient or challenging circumstances.

This meeting lasted three days.

The Bible tells us that many people, hearing about this event, traveled great distances to hear the words of life from Jesus. They arrived early, knowing that the three days would be entirely devoted to fasting and listening. They sat under the scorching sun from morning until evening.

Picture this: twelve hours of teaching by day, twelve hours of devotion by night. The first day, the second day, the third—they remained there, paying careful attention without moving, enduring hunger. Yet they valued Jesus’ words above physical food, understanding the principle Jesus Himself taught:

Matthew 4:4, NKJV).

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of

Jesus knew their suffering, their hunger, and their physical strain. Yet He continued teaching, for He saw their perseverance and their readiness to receive God’s Word without growing weary. This illustrates an important theological principle: God honors spiritual hunger and dedication, and the pursuit of His Word often requires patience, endurance, and self-denial (Hebrews 12:11).

When the teaching concluded, Jesus did not allow them to leave hungry. He saw their poverty, their thirst, and their suffering—and He had compassion on them. Mark records this:

Mark 8:1-9 (NKJV)

“In those days, when Jesus had a great multitude, and they had nothing to eat, He called His disciples and said to them,
2 ‘I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with Me three days and have nothing to eat.
3 And if I send them away hungry to their own homes, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.’
4 His disciples answered Him, ‘How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?’
5 He asked them, ‘How many loaves do you have?’ They said, ‘Seven.’
6 And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. He took the seven loaves, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to His disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the multitude.
7 They also had a few small fish; He blessed them and commanded that they also be set before them.
8 So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven baskets full of broken pieces that remained.
9 Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away.”

Notice this: they could have left hungry, but because they had remained faithfully with Him for three days, Jesus had compassion on them. The miraculous provision of food was not just physical; it was a divine affirmation that God blesses those who prioritize His Kingdom and His Word above all else (Matthew 6:33).

Theologically, this event teaches us several things:

Spiritual hunger precedes spiritual blessing. Those who hunger for God’s Word with perseverance are spiritually fed and blessed.
God sees and responds to faithful devotion. Even when physical needs are temporarily unmet, God honors our dedication and satisfies us in His timing.
Endurance in seeking God is a test of faith. Like the wilderness, trials often precede God’s provision (James 1:2-4, ESV).

This raises a question for us: can we reach this level of dedication? Can we fast, denying our physical needs, to seek God’s face earnestly for an extended time? Can we set aside worries, work, projects, and comforts to attend worship and teaching sessions without distraction? If we cannot endure in comfortable settings, how will we respond in the “wilderness” of sacrifice? And yet we expect Jesus to show compassion on our situation?

James 4:8 reminds us:

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (NKJV).

We must first be willing to deny ourselves and diligently seek God’s face, His Kingdom, and His righteousness. Only then can we experience the fullness of His mighty works in our lives.

Do not demand mercy before you have earnestly sought God. Let Jesus first have mercy. Our role is to seek God wholeheartedly, and He will care for our needs even before we express them (Matthew 6:32).

May the Lord guide us in this pursuit and grant us wisdom to take the right path.

Maranatha. Be blessed

DOWNLOAD PDF

Source URL: https://wingulamashahidi.org/en/2020/03/29/let-jesus-be-the-first-to-have-mercy-on-you/