Who Cares?

1 Peter 5: 7

Casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

Whenever I ask our Father what message He wants to give to His people, His answer is always the same, “Tell My people I love them.” That is the Father’s heart and that is the message He is sending today through this devotional. If you read no further, just hear, “Your Father, Yahweh, loves you!” Today the message of His love comes in the form of His care for you. There are two things I want to discuss about this verse. First, it’s just about His love. Second, I want to discuss anxiety for a moment.

God cares for you. Indeed, He cares for every single person on this planet. It doesn’t matter if you are black, white, European or Chinese. He loves you. He grieves at every single loss of life. Think of it, He knows, personally, every single person who has died of covid-19. As of this moment, 165,188 people have died from this disease. Now think how you would feel if you knew every one of those people. The reality of how many people have died is overwhelming as it is, but it would be devastating to have that many of your loved ones die before their time.

God cares for you and He loves you like He loves Jesus. You are His joy and delight. He cares about how you may be feeling at this moment. He cares that your heart grieves or that you worry. He is with you as you experience feelings of anxiety and even cabin fever. You have not had a thought or an emotion that He has not shared with you. Moreover, He longs to comfort you.

That brings up this question, “Did God send the corona virus infection into the earth?” The answer is easy, and it is an unequivocal, “No!” How could He since He is the embodiment of love? Why would He? Why would He torment Himself with over 100,000 deaths of those whom He loves? We cannot even fathom how much He loves us. His love for us is deeper than the deepest ocean, higher than the highest mountain peak. It is broader than the entire expanse of space and more intense than the brightest sun. He feels all our pain as if it is His own, because it is. So, no, our beloved Father did not send this catastrophe into the earth. He isn’t judging the earth or the people in it. In fact, the more you read the Bible the more you appreciate not only His love for us but also that He took care of the judgment problem long ago. That is the entire reason He sent Jesus into the earth. He did not send a virus; He sent a savior. That is one of the strongest theological statements I, or anyone else, has ever made. It contains the essence of volumes upon volumes of theology. He is our God and Father. Jesus is our Lord and shepherd. Would it make any sense for our God to slaughter Jesus’ sheep, the sheep for which he is responsible?

Last, I said I wanted to discuss anxiety for a moment. While some folks are enjoying a vacation at home and working on household projects, there are others who are feeling stressed and anxious. As this situation wears on, it is having an emotional impact on many people. We are directed to “cast” our anxiety and stress over to our Father. My friends, Charity Kayembe and Ann Musico have collaborated on an article which will help us do that. In the article, they explain a simple, yet effective, technique which can be used to dissipate stress. It is so easy you can use it every day. Click here to go to the IveyMinistries.org home page where you will find this article on anxiety and stress relief. Click on the picture with the frayed, ready to snap rope.

If you have never forwarded a Word of the Day to anyone, may I suggest that today is the day to change that? The article by Ann and Charity can help in this time of great need, it can even, literally, save someone’s life.

Angel Up

Matthew 4: 11

Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

In yesterday’s Word of the Day, I referred to temptation Jesus faced in the wilderness after the Spirit impelled him to sojourn in the wilderness. As you well know, no temptation ever overcame Jesus’ resilience and faith. Obviously, though, he was tempted. He vanquished the foe with his absolute reliance on the Word of God and in so doing, paved the way for our victory in every situation.

There is an interesting note, however, after he defeated the devil. The devil fled and in came angels, plural. Angels went to Jesus and ministered to him. Ask yourself how they ministered to him. What were his needs after being alone in the desert in excess of forty days. Surely he was hungry and thirsty. Perhaps his skin was parched and he was probably filthy. So now imagine how the angels met Jesus’ needs.

We so easily and quickly read over these passages, giving them little thoughtful consideration. What does an angel look like? From this text we perceive they are not just cloud like, ethereal images which cross our minds’ eye. They must have real substance if they met Jesus’ physical needs. I don’t think they just hovered over him like a vapor speaking words of encouragement.

Satan understood about angels, afterall, he used to be one. In Matthew 4: 6 we see him quoting Psalm 91: 11 – 12, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” He knows what the Word says and he understood the angels role and power in this tableau. The word which strikes me in this passage is “hands.” You may have thought about what angels look like. Do they have substance or are they nebulous cloud like figures? In this passage we see they have hands. It was with their hands that they ministered to Jesus’ needs. They didn’t just blow a cool breeze across his face. They carried in their hands the substance of his recovery, probably food and water. Maybe one of the angels washed his face with cool water. Maybe another made a foot bath for him. The point is that they are not inconsequential, tenuous beings. They are not figures of one’s imagination and most importantly, they are not floating around in heaven doing nothing other than singing. They are real beings with real purpose.

Segue to what this means to us. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1: 14). We are comfortable with the idea of guardian angels for children. I am not sure where we get that idea unless it from the aforementioned Psalm 91 or Matthew 18: 10, but then doesn’t it beg the question, “Where does one’s angel go upon adulthood? And at what age does that happen?” It seems a little silly to me if I take the time to think about it. Why would Father ever recall an angel He assigned to one of us? My friend, Dr. Charity Kayembe, would argue strongly and convincingly that our angels are still with us. In fact, she has written a very enlightening piece on angels. Visit her ministry website at www.glorywaves.org and see her article, Everyday Angels www.glorywaves.org/angels-101.

I just read an interesting booklet by Kenneth E. Hagin in which he gave his angels specific tasks. It inspired me even as I realized that mine were probably really bored. Angels are spirits which help us. You can communicate with them. They are not fat little cherubs floating around on clouds. They are effective employees of the Almighty sent here to earth to help us. As we broaden our understanding of all things spiritual, we should include a deep knowledge of the angels and their role in the earth, as well as their role in our lives. We have a major resource at our hands that we have largely ignored. Today is a good day for us to begin to rectify that egregious oversight. Amen.