Does God Care?

There are times when I wonder if God really knows what is going on around me? Could it be that with so many people to look after he is needed somewhere else?

There is an amazing story in Exodus 3 that describes God meeting with Moses. As God speaks to Moses it says….

7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.

If you have read the story over you will remember in the early part of Chapter 3 it describes Moses in Egypt walking out to watch the work going on and to watch his people. On one particular day he saw the Egyptian beating the Israelite. Moses stepped in and killed the Egyptian – then buried him. The following day he came again and found two Israelites fighting. When he tried to intervene he was accused of the murder the day before – Pharaoh heard about this and orders were given for his arrest and death sentence. Moses fled.

At the point that God speaks to Moses it is now 40 years later. 40 years later of thinking over his own plight and wondering why this has happened to him. In my mind he had to be thinking of the Israelites and how they were being treated. The “concern” that he demonstrated the day he intervened with the Egyptian was just as high now. His life was changed in one fell swoop. Now for 40 years he wonders – why.

In verse 7 when God speaks he is answering a heart question in Moses I believe. He assures Moses that he has heard and understands.

In your life and mine is it not the same?

The great assurance that I have comes when I read the rest of that small paragraph of what God says to Moses…

8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.

But this all comes together for me as I back up from this scripture and read Exodus 2 verse 23-25…

23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
Now try this with me… take the words of verse 25 and put your name where the word Israelites is…

For me that now says…
“So God looked on Murray and was concerned about me.”
“So God looked on Brenda and was concerned about her.”
“So God looked on Anne and was concerned about her.”
“So God looked on Terry and was concerned about him.”
“So God looked on Bob and was concerned about him.”
“So God looked on Darin and was concerned about him.”
“So God looked on (Insert Your Name Here) and was concerned about me.”

Jesus underscores this great thought for me….
Do Not Worry
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

A simple prayer I pray…

“I trust you Lord in what is happening right now. I believe you have my interests and problems close to your heart right now. Help me Lord, I trust you.”