My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why
are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? Psalm
22:1
We can feel like God has forsaken us. That he
is far away. That he doesn’t see our pain or hear our groaning. One of the
greatest challenges believers face on a regular basis, is what will we believe
– our feelings and emotions or God’s Word. Our feelings are real. We really
feel them. They are strong. But our feelings are a poor barometer of the truth.
Though they are true feelings, they are not always the truth. God’s word is the
truth, whether we feel it or not. So when we FEEL like God is not near, we must
remember his Word. We must remember his promises.
1. For
I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not,
I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah
41:13
God doesn’t simply send an angel to hold your
right hand. The God of heaven and earth personally holds your right hand. This
is a figurative expression of his closeness to us and his personal care for us.
He says that we are not to fear because he personally helps us – “I am the one
who helps you.”
2. Fear not, for I am with you; be not
dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will
uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah
41:10
Here God says that he personally will be with
us, strengthen, help and uphold us. For this reason, we need not fear or be
dismayed when facing or going through tough times.
3. When you pass through the waters, I will
be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you
walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume
you. Isaiah
43.2
We will all “pass through waters” and rivers
of hardship and uncertainty and walk through the fires of life. But God
promises, “I will be with you.” Personally. Presently. In the midst of the
fire, like he was with Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego.
4. I will instruct you and teach you in the
way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Psalm
32.8
This is one of my life verses. God himself,
the fountain of infinite wisdom and knowledge, promises to personally instruct
and teach his children. And he promises to counsel us with his eye upon us. He
is watching over us every second. He never slumbers nor sleeps. And he counsels
us step by step, day by day, with his eye constantly watching over our every
step.
5. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not
want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me
beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake. Psalm
23.1-3
In this, one of the most well known passages
in the Bible, God tells us he cares for us intimately and personally. He leads
us. Feeds us, gives us rest in him. Our good shepherd feeds us and refreshes us
in his word – in green pastures. He personally restores our souls when we are
weary and drained. He personally leads us in paths of righteousness for his
name’s sake – so that we will bring glory to his name.
6. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he
will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently
lead those that are with young. Isaiah
40:11
Our good
Shepherd gathers us in his arms and carries us “in his bosom,” a
picture of intimacy and closeness and deep care, and he gently leads us.
7. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the
mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all
your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1
Peter 5.6-7
God isn’t so busy running the universe that
he doesn’t have time for our petty worries. He tells us to cast all our
anxieties on him. Why? Because HE CARES FOR YOU. He cares about you. He cares
about your children and grandchildren. He cares about you in your job. He cares
about your church. He cares for you, that you would have joy and strength.
8. As for me, I am poor and needy, but the
Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my
God! Psalm
40.17
The Lord takes thought for us individually –
“the Lord takes thought for ME.” You personally are always on his mind. He
knows us intimately when we’re “poor and needy” spiritually, emotionally, or
physically. And because he takes thought for us he is our help and deliverer.
So cry out to him!
9. When the righteous cry for help, the LORD
hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.The LORD is near to the
brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm
34.17-18
Are you brokenhearted? Crushed in spirit? The
Lord is near to you. He is with you and identifies deeply with you. If God
tells us to weep with those who weep, how much more does he feel for us in our
sadness and pain. And he tells us to cry for help, because he hears the cries
of those he has made righteous by the blood of Christ. And our personal Savior
will deliver us out of ALL our troubles.
10. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were
far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Ephesians
2.13
We were once far off from God, but when we
believed in Jesus,
God brought us near by his blood. How near? We are one with Christ, in union
with him. Adopted as God’s children. No longer far off, but family.
11. Keep your life free from love of money,
and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor
forsake you.” Hebrews
13.5
God will
never leave nor forsake us. This is how we can be content in every
circumstance. We have God himself, the fountain of life and every good thing,
and he will never abandon us.
12. No longer do I call you servants, for the
servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends,
for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. John
15:15
Talk about intimacy! Jesus calls us his
friends! Intimate friends. Friends are intimate and share with each other. And
Jesus makes known his Father and his Father’s words and ways to us.
13. A man of many companions may come to
ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs
18.24
Jesus is closer to us than any brother, than
any family member could ever be. And he sticks close to us.
14. Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may
forget, yet I will not forget you. Isaiah
49.15
I love this verse. Human mothers have a deep
care and affection and concern for their nursing children. Human mothers have
deep compassion on their infants. Yet sometimes, they may forget. Yet God has
more compassion and care for us than the most loving mothers on earth. He will
never forget to care for us or fail to have compassion on us.
15. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in
all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any
affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2
Corinthians 1:3-4
When we are afflicted, we can run to “the
Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” And there is no affliction he will
not comfort us in – he comforts us in “ALL OUR AFFLICTION.” So much so that we
can pour out God’s comfort on others in their pain.
I hope these verses encourage you as much as
they have encouraged me through the years. Isn’t our God wonderful? God cares
for you.
This article about Bible verses about how God
Cares for You originally appeared here.
No comments:
Post a Comment