He cares for you

He cares for you

No one cares for my soul. (Psalm 142:4)

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.(Acts 20:28)

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14)

It costs to care. Psalm 142:4 poignantly describes what it cost the Lord Jesus. He knew what it was for no one to care for Him. It is extraordinary that while Jesus experienced this suffering, heightened by Peter words “I do not know Him”, that the Lord turns to look at His dear disciple. It was a look that broke Peter’s heart. In that single moment, the Lord conveyed the reality of His care for Peter that He had expressed not long before, “But I have prayed for you” (Luke 22:32).

We often read the Word of God without thinking of the profound experiences that shaped the saints that wrote it in the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter wrote, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). He did not write a platitude. He wrote from the depth of his soul about the reality and power of the Saviour’s care experienced at the time of Peter’s greatest need.

The care Peter experienced was something he was called to express in his own ministry. The Lord asked him to feed His lambs, shepherd His sheep and feed His sheep. Paul had the same experience. The man who wreaked havoc upon the Church of Christ became the apostle who cared so intensely for his fellow believers. In Acts 20 Paul speaks to the Ephesian elders for the last time. The first thing he says is, “Therefore take heed to yourselves” (verse 28). Our primary responsibility is to care for our own souls by placing ourselves in the care of the Lord. Today we are really concerned about our physical health and the great danger we face. We are doing everything we can to take care of ourselves. We are distancing ourselves to stay healthy. May we be daily concerned about our own spiritual health and habitually entering the presence of God and abiding in the Lord Jesus. In doing so, He equips us to care for others. We become caring by being in the presence of the Carer. He teaches us to care especially for those God has placed in our sphere of responsibility and influence, our families and fellow believers. It is from this spiritual base we are also able to care for and love our neighbours. The blessings He pours into our hearts are intended to flow out as widely as possible – “My cups runs over!”