One of the most damaging deceptions that I have seen in my time, is the false idea that God just doesn’t care about us. I’ve seen it from many different angles, and this idea may take many different forms, but it’s all the same in the end. It leads people into hopelessness and despair, because it cuts off the source of help – almost like chopping a life-line, tipping over a rescue ladder, or sinking an emergency raft.
Think about it… if a person truly believes that the very author of life doesn’t really care about them, what hope do they have for any kind of help or solution to their problems? It takes the hill and turns it into a full-fledged mountain.
Many people feel this way today – as if God just plain doesn’t care about them, and has no interest in helping with their problems, and this very attitude has caused many to sever the one true life-line and source of help that exists, and it’s all based on nothing more than a deception.
Well, in this study today, I would like to squash that deception with the truth, that not only does God care, but He cares for your entire life – every aspect of it – even more than you could possibly imagine. And as you see this truth today, you will gain confidence and know that you are not alone, and you have a source of help, that you never knew you had.
Now as I stated in the opening, I have seen this lie quite often, and it takes a variety of forms, even within the walls of church buildings, that God just doesn’t care.
Most church-goers won’t say that outright – but as you drill down into what they truly believe, you will often encounter the same kind of thoughts, even though they don’t say the exact words.
In church, I will often hear it expressed as though: Yes God can take care of your problems, but He may just be testing you. Which of-course leads people to believe that while God can help them, He won’t do so, because He is more concerned with testing people and allowing them to continue suffering while He does it – which is a terrible picture of God when you honestly take a step back and think about it!
Then there is the ever popular line of: Sure God can help you, just get your sin under control first!
Which in-essence totally negates the cross and the finished work of Christ – His sacrifice for you – which has already removed the sin problem for all who believe on Him!
I mention these things not to point fingers… in-fact I used to believe the exact same lies! Please understand that when I highlight these wrong beliefs, many times these are things that I have either personally encountered in my years of talking with people, or they are things that have held me in bondage myself – and oftentimes both! So there is no finger-pointing here. My goal with each of these studies is to help you avoid the same pitfalls that I used to be stuck in.
You see, many times we misplace our own focus. We can get so distracted with sinful behaviors and trying to improve our performance that we sacrifice and compromise the truth of the nature and character of God in the process. And this is one of those times. The enemy loves nothing more than when we are more concerned with ourselves than with Jesus; and that includes in our attempts to measure-up to His perfect standard instead of receiving what Christ has done.
This truth is the foundation for our study on God’s care (as well as everything else); because if we try to approach God with any other offering other than Christ, it will be insufficient. Some people need to be reminded of that!
If we approach God trying to offer Him with works of our hands and the strength of our flesh, our service and our own sacrifices, it will not be acceptable.
The point really isn’t our service to God – I know that’s a surprise for some people to hear that… some churches even teach people that God saved you to serve Him. That’s nothing but arrogance and pride! God didn’t save you because He needed your work. He wasn’t shorthanded and said “Oh I think I need Jim or Sally to serve me so I will save them.”
No! We need to understand the real reason that God even intervened to rescue us in the first place, before we can understand His care for our lives, because He did not save us to be His workers. Take a look at Acts 17:24-25:
“The God who made the universe and everything in it, and who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in man-made temples;
nor is he served by human hands, as if he lacked something; since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything to everyone.”
I share this with you because I want you to see that your relationship with God is not an employee-to-employer relationship; nor is it a slave-to-master relationship. And while this may be crushing to the pride of man to hear this – man’s pride needs to be crushed in this scenario, because pride is extremely deadly when it comes to the Gospel message.
What we see here is that God is not served by human hands. And while your natural instinct might be to recoil at this, because so many preachers have packed your bags and sent you on a guilt-trip that you need to “serve God” – God Himself is flat-out telling you here that your service is not why you were saved. So it’s time that we put our pride away and honestly sought the truth… why are we saved?
And this brings us to the point about His care… believe it or not (I didn’t rabbit-trail from the topic!)
Turn to John 17:3:
“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
Integral and foundational to eternal life, is not your service; not your works or your efforts, but knowing the One True God, and specifically Jesus the Christ whom the Father sent.
Now at first you might ask the question “what’s the difference?” but the scriptures actually point out a rather large difference… it’s precisely the difference between a slave and a son. There are plenty of people serving God who really have no relationship with Him, and don’t know Him at all. Have a look at what the scriptures say about it, in John 8:34-36:
“Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin.
And the servant stays not in the house for ever: but the Son stays ever.
If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.”
At first glance, some will not understand how this applies, thinking But I’m serving God, and that’s not a sin!
Yet we must understand that the world for “sin” in verse 34, is the noun for sin, and not the verb! Jesus is not saying here that whoever commits a sinful action is a slave to sin! He’s saying that whoever is still in the sinful identity of Adam is still a slave to sin!
If you look at the context of these verses, you will see that the Jews were arguing from the position of human lineage and birthright, claiming Abraham as their birthright – and Jesus was telling them that they were missing the point. That every line from Adam is still in bondage… and this is ultimately why nothing of yourself is ever sufficient, regardless of how good your intentions are or how much you strive.
This is why Jesus goes on to say in verse 35, that the slave will not remain in the house forever. Jesus was replacing The entire Old System of the Law… bringing that to a close, because it was weak and powerless to save. He was replacing the burden of trying to serve God, and the identity of servitude, with the Sonship that only He Himself could bring.
Then He goes on to say in verse 36, that whoever the Son sets free, is free indeed!
Moses was a servant, but Jesus is the Son. The Law could never make anyone free – in-fact it bound people – but Jesus is the one who makes free. Hebrews 3:5-6 says it like this:
“And Moses truly was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;
But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.”
Moses spoke as a testimony of those things which are to be spoken after. But we are not really of that house – remember as we read: a servant does not abide in the house forever – but a son does.
Christ is the Son, and we are of His house. He abides forever, and so do we as beloved children of God in Christ, sealed with His Spirit.
The Holy Spirit of God testifies not that we are His slaves, or His tireless workers, but that we are His children (Romans 8:16). You are the beloved child of God Himself, bought with the blood of Christ… and you are accepted in the same beloved (Ephesians 1:6).
This, my friend, is why God cares for you. Not because you are a great worker in His labor force. Not because you have earned special privileges through your great sacrifices – but because His sacrifice has granted you a place in His family.
He saved you, not because He need another worker – but simply because He loves you. (Ephesians 2:4)
And if you will let Him, He will absolutely care for your entire life.
How do you let Him?
I’m glad you asked!
Simply believe the truth! Reject the lies that He loves you less than He does! Stop believing that He is purposefully allowing you to suffer. Stop thinking that He is putting you through a terrible test!
Whatever your current situation may be, release it to Him.
Does it say this in the scripture? Or am I just making this up?
Turn to 1st Peter 5:6-7. This is a scripture we have studied multiple times before, but it needs repeating:
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: >>
Casting all your care on him; for he cares for you.”
Like so many other people, I used to think that the hand of God was a heavy hand of sorrows and despair, but it is actually an umbrella, a hand of protection and care that we are supposed to “humble ourselves under”, meaning stop trusting our strength, our self-effort and works, and allowing Him to support us!
His hand is not a hand that beats you down, but a hand that exalts you and lifts you up… remember that you are His beloved… He’s not pressing you down – He’s not bending you to see how much you can endure before you break – remember that He is so gentle that He will not even break a bruised reed! (Isaiah 42:3)
Verse 7 tells us to cast our cares upon Him. That word “cast” means to literally throw them on Him. Don’t hold back! He wants all of your cares. You were never meant to carry them! Let Him be the strong one. Let Him be good, and you be His child.
Only foolish pride will say “I am going to impress God by carrying this” – where wisdom and Grace says: “He’s God. He loves me… and He told me to throw this on Him, so I will.”
So on one hand, we have the man-made doctrine that says God will burden you with cares and troubles to “test your faith” – or tell you that your sin is blocking God’s help.
And on the other hand we have actual scripture which says that Jesus died to remove your sin, and that you are a completely new creation – a beloved child of God, and that He wants to take all of your cares and tells you to release them all to Him.
Now you have a choice about what you will actually believe: man or God.
The rest of verse 7 tells you why you can truly throw your cares on God: because He cares for you.
I encourage you to actually receive that truth for all that it’s worth today.
God cares for you, because you are one of His.
Start living that identity right this very moment. There’s no reason to wait a single second longer.
Be blessed.