Spirit of Compassion

Press the play button to watch the video above or press 'more' to read the transcript of the daily devotion below. Please read Zechariah 12:10-13:1 (use your own Bible or use the link above to access the in-App Bible).

In this chapter of Zechariah, the prophet talks about ‘that day.’ Earlier, we heard more about what the Lord will do on ‘that day’, a day that holds both judgement and salvation. And in the middle of it, God says, ‘I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication’ (v.10). It’s a turning point, a moment of renewal, when God softens hearts and draws His people back to Himself.

Over the past year, I think many of us have felt a deep sense of compassion as we’ve seen the unrest in the Middle East and watched the images on our screens. Compassion feels like the heartbeat of God flowing into our lives, reshaping how we see and how we treat one another. And compassion begins with seeing—really seeing. Just as Jesus looked at the crowds and had compassion on them because they were ‘harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd’ (Matthew 9:36).

So who do we see today? Our world has its own crowds, people in places of unrest, those who’ve been displaced or maybe closer to home—people facing loneliness, financial struggles or quiet battles with anxiety. But compassion doesn’t stop at seeing, it moves us to act. Where hearts are hard, compassion softens them. It helps us listen before judging, give before hoarding and forgive before condemning. Sometimes it’s as simple as offering a kind word, standing alongside someone who’s suffering or reaching across a divide that culture or politics has drawn.

The beautiful thing about God’s promise is that compassion isn’t something we have to conjure up ourselves. It’s poured out freely, so that our love can reach further than we ever could on our own. When we receive that grace, we become channels of it. During this time of advent maybe we can pause and ask: Where can we show compassion? Because when we carry this spirit into our workplaces, schools and homes, we become living reminders that God is still pouring out His love into a world so thirsty for kindness.