God Cares

  “Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel,

you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born.

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have

made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you”. (Isaiah 46:3-4)

The gods of Babylon are a burden for the weary. They are idols carried around by beasts. The God of Jacob carries and sustains the descendants of Jacob from the time of birth. God made them and will carry them until they are old and gray because God cares for them. The Good News Version renders this “I am your God and will take care of you until you are old and your hair is gray. I made you and will care for you.”

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the weight of the demands and responsibilities placed upon you? That happened to me recently.  I was literally plagued by the demands of the many voices calling for and requesting attention, voices that could not be ignored. It was during that experience that I sat down, face enveloped in my palms and talked to God.  I opened my Bible on Isaiah 46 and began reading when suddenly I read “Listen to me…I have cared for you from the time you were born. I am your God and will take care of you until you are old and your hair is gray.”  I can still remember how I straightened up myself, raised my shoulder, took a deep breath and said “Thanks!”  Yes! God cares. To care is to feel affection or love and concern for somebody. God was reassuring me that I am loved and the recipient of divine concern.

This is a season when we all experience an increased demand for our attention, involvement and presence in the multiplicity of activities.  The extreme pressure can drain us to the point where we are unable to enjoy or appreciate what we do. We can find ourselves going through the motions. Do not wait until you are overwhelmed by all the demands. As you face each new day and encounter each new demand take it to the Lord in prayer.  As 1 Peter 5: 7 says “Cast all your cares upon Him because He cares for you”. David encouraged the same type of commitment in Psalm 55:22 when he said, “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

Why not do that now?

Elisha A. Hoffman and Anthony J. Showalter wrote the words and music to the song “Everlasting Arms”. The last stanza says:

What have I to dread, what have I to fear
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near
Leaning on the everlasting arms
 

THOUGHT:   No one is more secure than the one held in God’s care.

PRAYER:      Lord, help me to learn from and lean on Your faithfulness. Remind me that You  care for and about me and that you will never leave me, so that I may confidently place my future, all of it, in Your hands.

Everald Galbraith

14 December 2010