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Sometimes I have felt confused and helpless.

Having been a bit of a wallflower and feeling like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole, I can relate to the crowds. The idea still arises that I don’t belong anywhere. My quirkiness isn’t accepted. Social awkwardness isn’t just for adolescents or teenagers.

Hopefully, as I age, I’ve earned the right or privilege to be peculiar. Seriously though, I take to heart the observation in the King James Version of 1 Peter 2:9 about being a peculiar people.

I wonder if Matthew felt like a lost sheep when he met Jesus. As he wrote this account, I can imagine him remembering how Jesus called him. As a tax collector, although a Jew, Matthew was ignored and despised by the rest of his people. They saw him as someone who took advantage of them and as a traitor who served the enemy—the Roman government. Left on the outside, pushed away, resented, and unwelcomed, he was perhaps a very lonely man.  

I love Matthew’s observation of all these people and Jesus’ response. The compassion Jesus showed mirrored what He extended to Matthew in his place of helpless despair. Matthew gave evidence of his own heart being touched by that personal encounter with Jesus.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. This verse encourages us to acknowledge the compassion Jesus extends. When we feel as if we don’t fit in—or the lack of acceptance leaves us feeling lost and helpless and we don’t know why—we can remember Jesus’ compassion for those in need. He is our Good Shepherd.

How can you let God soothe you when you feel confused and helpless?

(photo courtesy of pixabay and Tumisu)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)