Christian Kindness and Compassion For Animals
By Niki Behrikis Shanahan
“A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal,
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” Proverbs 12:10
I know all of you love and respect animals very much, but we know that’s not the case with all Christians. We can all pray for misguided Christians and people everywhere that the Lord will inspire them to have the kind of love they should have for God’s creatures.
Some people have a ministry with a focus on missionary work, seniors, children, or some other area, and I think that most of us in this group have a special ministry to take care of animals in one way or another. We have an important function to look out for those weak and defenseless little ones that God has given to us. We can speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves.
All people should love and care about animals, especially Christians. Matthew 10:29 says that not one sparrow is forgotten by God, and since He is mindful of them, we should be also.
Unfortunately, we have all seen people that call themselves Christians, and yet they are not compassionate toward animals. The Lord expects His people to be good to animals as we can see in Proverbs 12:10, “A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”
Genesis 1:26 says that we are to have dominion over the animals. That means to care for them – not to neglect and abuse them. It should be much the same way that Jesus helps and watches over us. We see from several Scriptures that Jesus has dominion over us. These can be found in 1 Peter 5:11, Jude 1:25 and Revelation 1:6. So Christians should follow the Lord’s example of loving, caring, helping, and watching over animals in much the same way that He cares for us. The Lord cares very much for all the animals, and that’s why He has called upon us to take care of them.
Here’s a prayer that you may find helpful.
Dear Lord, please help the many Christians and people all over the world to care about animals, and never be cruel or unkind. Speak strongly in their hearts, minds, and spirits, and teach them love, kindness, and compassion for all animals. We pray that You would rescue animals from all cruelty and abuse, and that you would protect them and watch over them daily. Please help all the pets that don’t have a home to be adopted by loving people soon. Inspire people to pass laws to protect animals, and help us all to be good stewards with all of Your creation. We pray in Jesus Name, Amen.
The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works. Psalm 145:9
Copyright 2018 Niki Behrikis Shanahan. All rights reserved. Not to be used without author’s explicit written authorization. To reprint this article, please contact the author at eternalanimals@comcast.net.