Have you ever felt that way? When the whole world seems to be lined up against you, and whatever you do, it never seems to work out? You find yourself wondering if God even cares. I believe, at one time or another, we have all found ourselves in such a situation, in such a time in our lives.
I want to assure you, from the bottom of my heart, but, more importantly, from the bottom if His heart. GOD CARES!
From the very beginning, God has cared about and cared for His children. So many Scriptures remind us, teach us, that this is Truth.
Remember the Hebrew slaves in Egypt? Phillip Yancey once wrote about this, and I want to expand on what he wrote. The Hebrew slaves were convinced God had forsaken them in their most dire times of need, but God had not. Scriptures tell us this is so.
Deuteronomy 31:6) Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
And, again in Hebrews 13:5) Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
God Himself said: Isaiah 49:15) Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
16 .) Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
God sent Isaiah to bring the Hebrew slaves His message of hope, of salvation! Isaiah told them of what God promised them. These promises are sometimes referred to as "the Servant Songs," and are found in Chapters 42 - 53 of the Book of Isaiah.
In these "promises," God reveals the hope for their deliverance, and, most important, the prophetic revelation of the coming of Jesus Christ Himself!
Isaiah 53:1) Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 .) For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
We can also look to the New Testament for the assurance that God cares about us.
Matthew 6:25 thru 30 teaches us this. Vs. 25) Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
And verses 33 and 34 give us His promise.
33) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 .) Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
In Matthew, Chapter 7, Jesus tells us: 7) Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 .) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 .) Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 .) Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 .) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
And, again, in Matthew 21, verse 22) And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Not only does God care, He loves us! He loves us with an unconditional and undying love!
John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 5:6) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 .) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 .) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 .) Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
10 .) For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
11 .) And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
1 Timothy 2:4) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 .) Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
and, again in....
2 Peter 3:9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
So, when we find ourselves in such a spiritual state of doubt and despair, this is the time we need to turn to God. To praise Him, and to find the blessed assurance that GOD CARES!
1 Peter 2:2) As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
3 .) If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
4 .) To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
5 .) Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 .) Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 .) Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 .) And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 .) But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10 .) Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
May God bless and keep you and yours.
I want to assure you, from the bottom of my heart, but, more importantly, from the bottom if His heart. GOD CARES!
From the very beginning, God has cared about and cared for His children. So many Scriptures remind us, teach us, that this is Truth.
Remember the Hebrew slaves in Egypt? Phillip Yancey once wrote about this, and I want to expand on what he wrote. The Hebrew slaves were convinced God had forsaken them in their most dire times of need, but God had not. Scriptures tell us this is so.
Deuteronomy 31:6) Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
And, again in Hebrews 13:5) Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
God Himself said: Isaiah 49:15) Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
16 .) Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
God sent Isaiah to bring the Hebrew slaves His message of hope, of salvation! Isaiah told them of what God promised them. These promises are sometimes referred to as "the Servant Songs," and are found in Chapters 42 - 53 of the Book of Isaiah.
In these "promises," God reveals the hope for their deliverance, and, most important, the prophetic revelation of the coming of Jesus Christ Himself!
Isaiah 53:1) Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 .) For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
We can also look to the New Testament for the assurance that God cares about us.
Matthew 6:25 thru 30 teaches us this. Vs. 25) Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
And verses 33 and 34 give us His promise.
33) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 .) Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
In Matthew, Chapter 7, Jesus tells us: 7) Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 .) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 .) Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 .) Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 .) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
And, again, in Matthew 21, verse 22) And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Not only does God care, He loves us! He loves us with an unconditional and undying love!
John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 5:6) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 .) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 .) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 .) Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
10 .) For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
11 .) And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
1 Timothy 2:4) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 .) Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
and, again in....
2 Peter 3:9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
So, when we find ourselves in such a spiritual state of doubt and despair, this is the time we need to turn to God. To praise Him, and to find the blessed assurance that GOD CARES!
1 Peter 2:2) As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
3 .) If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
4 .) To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
5 .) Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 .) Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 .) Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 .) And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 .) But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10 .) Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
May God bless and keep you and yours.
.