The Word - April 19, 2012 - HE CARES FOR YOU

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you." (1Peter 5:6-7).

In C. S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, the senior devil, Screwtape, explains to the junior devil, Wormwood, why they must tempt humans to worry and not trust God. "There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a human's mind against the enemy. He [God] wants men to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them thinking about what will happen to them."

On the other side of the equation, the Bible is full of tokens of God's marvelous care for His people. As we wrestle with all the daily burdens and responsibilities of life, we have a tendency to worry about our tomorrows. Our Scripture gives us the simple, direct and profound solution to worry; entrusting ourselves and our troubles to God, is the believer's defense against worry.

In our journey through life, our Lord reminds us how His care for us is so much greater than His care for birds, flowers and animals. If He clothes the lilies of the field more beautifully than Solomon was ever attired, He will much more clothe us (Matt. 6:30). If He makes provision for the care of oxen, how much more will He care for our needs (1Cor. 9:9).

As our High Priest, the Lord Jesus bears our names on His shoulders-the place of power, (Ex. 28:9-12), and on His breast-the place of affection. Also our names are engraved in the palms of His hands (Isa. 49:16), a fact that reminds us of the nail wounds He sustained for us at Calvary.

Whoever touches us touches the apple of His eye. No weapons formed against us can prosper for long. (Isa. 54:17).

When we go through the waters, the rivers of fire, He is with us (Isa. 43:2), in all our afflictions, He is afflicted (Isa. 63:9).

He cares for us and bears us up even in our old age. In fact, He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) God really cares for us!

"Worry is an old man with bended head, carrying a load of feathers which he thinks are lead! (Corrie Ten Boom).