Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
A Sympathizing Savior
In this world, we are exposed to innumerable foes and overwhelmed by personal afflictions. We have seasons of physical suffering, of losses, and of painful trials. We endure solitary sorrows and national distresses. Not only must we bear our own troubles, but the sorrows of others lie on our hearts. Nothing can exempt us from suffering so long as we live this side of Heaven.
Through all our infirmities, the Lord is not an idle spectator. He consoles us as one who has himself fought the battle. Christ “was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…” Isaiah 53:3, 4 Because he assumed our nature and suffered our infirmities, he is able to be touched with the feelings of our weaknesses. He has a first-hand knowledge of what we suffer. He suffers with us.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15,16
It is comforting to know that when we are pursued by sin and sorrow, we have a safe hiding place in Christ. We are not alone in our struggles. He is a “very present help in trouble.” His care extends to every Christian; the young and the aged, the weak and the strong, the poor and the wealthy, the doubting and the confident. Believer, He cares for you:
For whom? For you, who are begotten again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; who are born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever. For you, who are strangers and pilgrims on the earth as all your fathers were. For you, who are placed in humble circumstances, being numbered with the poor of this world. For you, who are compassed about with so many cares, and who enjoy so few comforts; who are surprised at the fiery trials which try you, as though some strange thing had happened unto you. For you, who are worried and harassed by Satan, who as a roaring lion goeth about seeking whom he may devour. For you, who are persecuted by the world, and hated by all men for your Savior’s sake. For you, to whom Christ is precious, as he is to every one who really believes in him. For you, sinful as you are. For you, depressed and discouraged as you are. He careth for you. He cares for you individually, and according to the circumstances in which you are placed.
What does he do? He careth for you. He thinks of you. He watches over you. He sympathizes with you. He feels the deepest interest in you. He ever seeks your welfare. He infallibly secures your good. Your misery touches his heart, your wants lie open to his view, and your cries enter into his ears.
He cares for you, and his care is paternal; it is the care of a father for his child, the child whom he tenderly loves, and for whose welfare he feels the deepest concern. He cares for you, and his care is perpetual; he will never care for you less than he does at present; when age weakens you, when wants pinch you, when death appears just before you, he will care for you as much as he did in youth, or as he does at this moment. He cares for you, and his care is beneficial; it prevents innumerable evils, and secures the greatest possible amount of good.
This we know, that God will care for us, and caring for us, will fulfill his promises to us, and make all his goodness pass before us. If God cares for us, then let us cast all our cares upon him. James Smith
Under His Wings
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4
How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. Psalm 36:7
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Matthew 23:37
Storms of affliction can overtake us without warning. We need to be persuaded that God will take care of us. He promises that we are preserved in safety under his protecting care, just as the hen cherishes her chicks under her wings. Whenever danger approaches, the mother hen quickly gathers her chicks. They bury their head in her feathers and they are warm and comfortable. She will protect them even if her life is threatened. The young animals thrive under her constant care.
No figure, then, could be more happily chosen to express the infinite love of Christ, and his ardent desire to deliver his people from the sin and misery of their fallen condition, his watchful care, and powerful protection, and the safety and happiness of those that believe in his name. It beautifully expresses the singularly tender care with which God watches over our safety.
He Careth For You
Are you weary or troubled, perplexed or distressed?
In Christ there is comfort, joy, safety, and rest;
Go tell Him your sorrows, cast on Him your care,
He waits in His pity your trials to share.
He sees all your footsteps, He marks all your way,
In kindness, in wisdom, He’s planned every day;
He knoweth, He loveth, as none else could do;
Go tell to Him all things, “He careth for you.”
Perhaps no one else seems to pity or know,
None think of your welfare, nor mark where you go;
But your loving Redeemer, so patient, so true,
Is full of compassion, “He careth for you.”
Assured of His presence, protection and peace,
Of fellowship holy, let burdens all cease;
Though trials be many, and friends may be few,
Oh! what does it matter, “He careth for you.”
He careth for you ‘mid the sunshine and shade,
‘Mid the cheer of the upland, the gloom of the glade;
He thinketh upon you when poor and in need,
Oh! His is the sympathy sweetest indeed.
All power is His–He is mighty to aid,
So that none of His children should e’er be afraid;
You will never need aught that His love cannot do,
So trust in the promise, “He careth for you.”
From Thoughts of Peace Photo Credits: Kelsey Lovefusionphoto Sukanto Debnath
Knowing the Time 