God Really Does Care

Today's Truth
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7 NIV)

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6 NIV)

Friend To Friend
I memorized today's verse as a little girl in Christian school. However, as is typical of God's Word, the meaning of the verse deepens each time God applies it to my life. Just two weeks ago, God reminded me again how much He really does care.

Rushing around on last minute errands prior to a trip, I needed to drop a pre-packaged delivery envelope into the nearest UPS collection box. To my dismay, the receptacle I drove to was a FedEx drop box instead. As I kept driving, my mind tried - without success - to come up with the next closest UPS box.

This problem may not rank high on your personal list of frustrations, but that particular day's schedule and my patience were seriously overloaded. Crying out to God, I asked what to do. In the very next second, I passed a convenience store where a big, brown UPS truck sat idling in the parking lot. The driver congenially accepted my parcel, and I pulled away humbly worshipping the God who cares about the tiniest details of our lives.

Just twenty-four hours later, I approached my travel destination only to find my directions slightly amiss. Deciding to pull off onto a quiet side street to check the map, I began making the corner and immediately knew something was seriously wrong with the car. Carefully guiding the car to the curb, I parked and got out to investigate the problem.

Imagine my shock when I noticed a rear wheel was coming off of the car! The five lug nuts normally holding it onto the car were completely missing. Lying on the pavement behind the car, I could see from underneath a separation between the wheel and axel. My mind whirled with the possible scenarios. Just ten minutes before, I had been driving fast in thick traffic on the Interstate. Worship again flooded my soul as I knelt before the Lord and thanked Him for taking such good care of me.

While the world chants: "Don't worry, be happy," we Christians should practice a much more appropriate principle: "Don't worry, God cares!" God knows and God really does care about the little and large things that touch our lives.

Let's Pray
Lord, thank You for caring about every single detail of my life and for taking care of them all. Help me to trust You more and turn to You more quickly for help in every situation. In Jesus' Name, Amen

Now It's Your Turn

How has God taken care of you this past week?
Read 1 Peter 5:6-11. Who is trying to rob you of joy (vs. 8)? Describe the picture the verse creates in your mind. You can resist him by humbly asking God for help (vs. 6) and worshipping God (vs. 13).
Make a list of the troubling situations in your life. Read Philippians 4:6-7 and follow the directions. Enjoy the resulting peace!

Taken from Girlfriends in God devotional for today.