I realized something today. “God cares for me.”
I realized something today in the midst of a crazy and stressful moment last night. Let me set the stage…
We have been preparing for a Christmas party with our friends, so I was ordering something for the party and was trying to communicate with a delivery person that didn’t quite understand. At the same time, I had flyers made for one of our big village outreaches which we will be distributing on Wednesday. The person helping me print the 300 flyers needed me to finish the editing and send it to them because they were waiting at the print shop. At the same time, I got a call from Liz saying our car had stopped working on one of the busiest streets during rush hour. She was, at that moment, heading to the clinic because she needed to have something checked out. And to top it off, it was about time for our nanny to leave which meant I needed to prepare dinner and start watching the kids. ALL of these things collided at the same moment and it was EXTREMELY overwhelming.
1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “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.”
I need to be honest, in that moment I wasn’t “humbling myself” under God’s hand – and yet I was being humbled in that moment… things were outside of my ability and control. I also wasn’t “casting my anxieties on Him” – and yet I was praying, “Lord I need help.”
What follows was God showing, once again, that He cares.
Clara “happened” to be home and free to watch the boys (which for a teenager is not always the case) – she jumped in, taking care of them and making dinner so that our nanny could go home.
I rushed to the road to help Liz with the car and at least get it out of the way of traffic. It just so “happened” that a Cambodian friend I know, but haven’t seen in years, was at the clinic, saw our situation and wanted to help me try and tow the car (using his car) to our house.
It just so “happened” that the car died next to a hardware store that sold tow cables.
It just so “happened” that the people during rush hour didn’t get upset or angry but even helped us stop traffic for a bit so we could get the car around a tight corner.
It just so “happened” that my mechanic who turns off his phone after 5, checked it one more time, saw my message, and after hours came to my house to examine the car.
And it just happened to dawn on me that God really does care. Listen, this is not normal for us. Things don’t always fall into place like it did in that moment. In fact, the majority of the ways that God cares for us are ways that we never see or may not even understand in this life. And yet, the Bible tells us again and again to “cast your anxieties on Him for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7, Psalm 55:22, Matthew 11:28, ect…)
In Isaiah 41:13 God says, “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.” For me, this took on a new meaning today. God cares for us in so many ways. He holds our right hand. He carries us when we see it and when we don’t. And as God’s people, it is right and fitting that we recognize and give thanks to Him when we see His hand at work in our lives.
Each moment of God’s faithfulness that we share both bolsters our confidence in Him (that's especially important for times that we don’t see Him working) AND becomes a testimony to others of His goodness and character. Today was one of those days where God's hand was clearly seen working in my life. I am truly thankful for moments like these. I’m thankful, because this will stay with me and give me confidence that even when I don’t see His hand at work – He cares for me – He is at work for His glory and my good, I can be sure of that.
My hope is that as I share this, you take pause in order to look at your own life and see the many ways that God is at work. And if your anxieties are beyond your capacity in this moment – remember – He cares for you, give those anxieties to Him and know He is with you. To God be the glory!