Our Father Cares & Provides
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7, NLT)
Throughout Jesus’ ministry here on earth, He bore testimony to who God, the Father, is. The words that He spoke were unlike anything they had ever heard. His deeds were unlike anything they had ever seen. His words and deeds were laced with compassion and love for a world that was broken and that longed for a Saviour. Jesus demonstrated the compassionate care of the Father through miracles, signs and wonders. He showed us that God, the Father, knows our needs and is more than able to provide for them. He also knows our human nature and our propensity to worry about them. Therefore, Jesus says in Matthew 6:31-32,
“So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”
In the preceding verses, Matthew 6:28-30, Jesus assures us that our creator God takes care of all of creation, even the flowers of the field. Nothing escapes His attention. He sees us. Our omniscient God knows every aspect of our lives. There is nothing that is not known to Him. Even our needs that seem small and insignificant. He knows them and is able to meet every one of them because He cares for us.
God Cares for Our Souls
God not only cares about our physical and material needs, but also about our emotional and mental well-being. He commands us through Jesus’ words not to worry. Jesus equates worrying with a yoke that we put on ourselves. A yoke can be used to join two animals together so that they can work the land or perform other kinds of hard labour. The yoke can be seen as a symbol of slavery and oppression. When we worry, we are enslaving ourselves to fear, anxiety and despair. When we worry, we open ourselves up to the oppression of the enemy of our souls, Satan. We believe His lies that tell us that God doesn’t care for us and will not intervene in our situation. But Jesus shows us that our Father cares. Jesus invites us in Matthew 11:29-30 to take His yoke upon us, which is light and will not wear us down. When we do, we will find rest for our souls. In Psalm 62:1, David says
"Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."
When our souls find their rest in Him, we see our Father God for who He truly is – our salvation, our rock and our fortress. We will see that He cares for us and will provide for us. We will see that when we place our feet upon the Rock of our salvation, we can never be shaken.
The rest Christ offers is not the rest of idleness, but the rest of communion, of being yoked with Him, so that our labour becomes light. Charles Spurgeon
Reflection
Think about the things weighing heavily on your heart. Why not give them to your heavenly Father, who cares for you? He will intervene and provide for your needs.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that Your Word says that You care for me. Lord, I give all the burdens that are weighing heavily on my heart to You. I cast them on You and take on Your yoke, which is light. Lead me, Lord, along Your still waters to Your place of rest. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
