God cares for you, follower of Christ. Sometimes the way God shows this is to answer simple prayers in amazing ways.
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)
If you’ve ever heard a believer talk about a “life verse”, this is mine.
I am reminded of it today as I am going through some personal struggles. Nothing that in the grand scheme of things is serious, but still bringing stress.
I will stop short of saying that it is not something of “spiritual” importance, because I know that God can use anything in our lives to grow us, even trials (James 1:2-4).
What I am here to say is this: I know that God cares for you, because He has proven many times over that He cares for me. And typically – at least in my case – it comes down to times of prayer when He does it.
He Cares About the Small Things
Paul implores us to pray about everything and anything (Philippians 4:6). Because God cares about you, there is nothing insignificant enough that He wouldn’t hear it. After all, God’s throne is always open to His children.
As I was thinking through today’s article I was reminded of the saying, “Don’t sweat the small stuff”. What I am dealing with seems pretty run of the mill; something that in my mind I should be able to endure. But it was bringing me enough stress that I knew I needed to bring it to God.
I have prayed about it for the last 2 days. Each day, God brought a fresh answer to bring me relief.
Small stuff doesn’t always feel small, but I have to admit that because I am now more intentional in my life to follow the disciplines that make abiding with Christ possible, my definition of a crisis has changed. What I am dealing with would have felt far more burdensome at another point in my life.
That is not to brag by any stretch. I am only testifying to what happens to a person when they do what is necessary to seek after Christ daily. If you ever want to learn that God cares for you, spending time with Him every day will get you there.
Even so, this situation reminded me that nothing is too small to talk to God about.
And when God does bless me by answering prayers about the “small stuff”, it makes me realize how much God cares. He cares enough to answer prayers seemingly for no other reason than to show me a kindness.
He Cares About the Big Things
Another time that I found myself praying a lot, I was moving from one job to another.
I felt God was really blessing me, so I decided it was time that I tried harder at being a good Christian.
Yes, you read that sentence right. Unfortunately, it didn’t come from a place of simple immaturity. Keep reading.
During this time I had discovered a brother of Christ online who was seemingly living a real, deep, fulfilling faith in Christ, and he had developed a study that intrigued me.
I asked a friend of mine if he would first be a good Berean and help me confirm that what I was hearing was the truth. If he agreed, I asked him if he would do the study with me.
Thank God he did. I thought I was doing it to support my faith. Instead, it put me back on my heels. I realized that I was not walking in the faith – at all. I was in desperate need to find my way back to Christ.
Once I started to walk with Christ in obedience and surrender again, I began to understand how He had not given up on me. He clearly cared for me. Just like God cares for you.
As a side note, it was through that time of study I discovered the importance of abiding with Christ, and what eventually led me to start writing here.
God Cares for Me
The proof that I always come back to that God cares for me is today’s passage, my life verse.
When I came across it, I was a young man, in my college years. It was during a time when I was pursuing God rather than ignoring Him.
I was lying in bed, reading the Bible, and I don’t remember what exactly what was going on, but I remember I was sad. I was feeling very alone and unloved at the time.
At one point, I just stopped reading and started crying. I told God that I needed to see that He cared about me. And not just in a general sense. I needed to know He cared about me personally, specifically. I needed to see those words.
I even acknowledged in that moment how arrogant my prayer must have sounded. After all, the Bible is already written. That means God would have had to have answered my prayer 2,000 years ago.
Also, this was pre-internet, pre-google. I was going to have to find it the old-fashioned way.
It only took me about 45 minutes before coming across 1 Peter 5:6-7 and seeing, word for word, that “He (God) cares about you”.
I learned that God answers my prayers before I even ask them (Isaiah 65:24)!
In that moment I was filled with joy. He answered a prayer that I desperately needed answering. And it has become stamped on my heart ever since.
God Cares for You
God cares for you, my friend. If you are part of the Body of Christ, He cares for you. If you are not, know that God loved you enough to allow His own Son to die for you, that you may have eternal life.
Don’t ever let go of this truth. No matter where your life takes you, the hardships you face, the tragedies – God cares for you. If you are His child, God will always care enough to hear you. If you are not, God will always accept your cries of repentance and turning to Him.
I hope that as you continue on this journey, abiding with Christ with me, you will continue to learn that God cares for you.
More Bible verses that show God cares for you:
Psalm 34:18; Isaiah 41:10; Nahum 1:7; Zephaniah 3:17; Luke 12:7; John 3:16; 1 John 5:14-15
