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What Does the Bible Say About Empathy?

Scripture reveals that empathy isn't sentimental—it's the practice of entering someone else's pain and placing their needs on equal footing with your own.

Scripture on Empathy

Romans 12:15 New Testament
"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."
1 Peter 3:8 New Testament
"Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble."
Exodus 23:9 Old Testament
"Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt."
Philippians 2:4 New Testament
"Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
Job 6:14 Old Testament
"A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty."
The Bottom Line
Empathy is what happens when you remember you're not the center of the story, and you choose to feel what others feel.
Try Today

Call or visit someone carrying a burden right now. Don't fix it or offer advice. Just sit with them and say, 'I'm here, and I care about what you're going through.'

Prayer

Jesus invites us to come to Him with our burdens, and He offers us the same compassion He asks us to extend—Matthew 11:28.

Father, you knew our pain before we were born. You came to earth and entered into our suffering. Soften my heart toward people I'm tempted to dismiss or misunderstand. Give me the courage to feel what they feel, even when it's uncomfortable. Help me see their struggle as real, not inconvenient. Show me how to sit with people in their sorrow without rushing to fix it. Make me a friend worth having. In Jesus' name, Amen.

📚 Read 1 Samuel 20 to see David and Jonathan's empathy tested and proven under pressure.

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