Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all you anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7, ESV).
IT HURTS! When my four year old daughter Allyson skinned her knee, she came to me with tears in her eyes and with a cracking voice she cried: “Dad, it hurts!” While nursing her knee, I thought that sometimes I have cried to my heavenly Father, “It hurts!” Hurt is a common human condition. We all suffer hardship and trouble. Haven’t you cried to God, “It hurts!” Ordinary pain from human relationships hurts, and our sins against each other just makes it hurt all the more. We hurt from the anxieties of making a living and making many mistakes. We hurt from terror and tragedy, and from change, sickness and death. Does our God really care when we cry, “Father, it hurts!”
GOD CARES. The Apostle Peter taught that God has a mighty hand to lift you up, not to crush you. He only wants you to humbly depend upon him and his timing. This means you must be real with God, entrust all your anxieties into his mighty hand; then let him work his purpose and blessing in his way and his time. It’s difficult, because you would rather not feel the pain; but you must learn to trust God cares for you.
GOD SEES AND HAS COMPASSION. There is a wonderful story in the Bible in Genesis 16 that shows our God does see. Sarai, the wife of Abram, treated her handmaid Hagar so harshly that Hagar fled into the desert. Now she was expecting Abram’s child and was in a harsh land. Abram and Sarai had caused her hurt by agreeing to let Hagar have their child, thinking this is what God intended. But this was not God’s way. People most often cause hurt upon themselves and others because they follow their own selfish ways rather than God’s way. But Hagar also brought hurt upon herself. She looked upon Sarai, her mistress, with contempt, since she could have Abram’s child but Sarai could not. However, the Lord God saw Hagar’s plight, and sent his angel to bless her and to encourage her to return to her mistress with a submissive attitude. Hagar did follow God’s way, and she rejoiced that God looked after her.There is another story in the Bible in Luke 7:11-17 about a grieving widow who had just lost her only son, a son who had certainly helped to care for his mother. The Lord Jesus saw the funeral procession and the widow weeping. When Jesus saw her he had compassion on her. First he offered her comfort by telling her not to weep; then he gave her son back his life. In this thorn and death cursed world, Jesus brings life and joy. The crowd was amazed and offered praise of what this meant: “God has visited his people!”
CRY TO GOD AND GOD WILL VISIT YOU. Before the heavenly Father sent his Son Jesus, many cried out to him and found that he cared. The Psalms are a wealth of examples of sincere and earnest hearts seeking a caring God with a mighty hand. Read Psalm 34 and Psalm 107 and find encouragement for your time of need. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18), and “For he [God] satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things” (Psalm 107:9).
GOD HAS A PURPOSE. Entrust your anxieties to God. You will not hurt in vain, for God will show you the comfort and power of his grace and life over weakness and death (2 Corinthians 1:3-11). Without the hurt of the thorn in the flesh, you would not experience growth in God’s comfort and grace in life (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). That priceless experience brings personal blessing, joy and the competence to help and encourage others.
Buttram, Bryan. It Hurts and God Does Care. WordPress.com: 2007/09/24.
