"Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness"
Isaiah 41:10
It is so wonderful to be able to see my church family through zoom, to sing, worship, and study God's Word. I miss them so much! It pains me not to see them and interact with them. No, I will never be happy to just see and worship with my church family through a video! But for now, we must put others above ourselves, and it is okay with me until we can meet safely again. May God be with us as we weather the storm with this COVID-19 virus. May He protect and shield us from all harm and evil. Until then, I will miss my church family profoundly. Yesterday, we sang this beautiful song, "God Will Take Care of You." It lifted me up and reminded me about our God's steadfast love, promises, and providential care toward His children. This song is one of my all-time favorite songs. Indeed, God will take care of us, and we need not worry or doubt that.
This beautiful song expresses God's care and steadfast love for us when troubles and problems manifest in our lives to distress (dismay) us.
I. GOD'S CARE AND STEADFAST LOVE:
"And Jehovah, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed"' (Deut. 31:8).
- First Stanza:
"Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you; Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you."
Since God loves us and is always watching after us, we have nothing to be afraid of or dismayed about. God wants us to abide beneath His wings of love. He will love and take care of us as baby birds gather under their mother's wings, looking for protection and safety. He has promised us that He will protect us, and we must believe Him and trust Him!
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!" (Matt. 23:37).
His love and care are beyond words!
- Second Stanza:
"Through days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you; When dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you."
Stanza 2 reassures us about God's care for us when days of toil and danger assail our path. Indeed, our lives are filled with days of toil and hardship that cause our hearts to be weary and to fail.
"And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, which cometh because of the ground which Jehovah hath cursed" (Gen. 5:29).
"And Joseph called the name of the first-born Manasseh: For, said he, God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house" (Gen. 41:51).
In this life, we face many fierce dangers that often terrify us.
"You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday" (Psa. 91:5-6).
But amid our fears and doubts, God wants us to cast our cares and fears on Him.
"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved" (Psa. 55:22).
"Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you" (1 Pet. 5:7).
- Third Stanza:
"All you may need He will provide, God will take care of you; Nothing you ask will be denied, God will take care of you."
Since God cares and loves, He will provide what we need. He has promised His faithful children to provide for their material needs, for He will not abandon us.
"Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? 26 Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto [a]the measure of his life? 28 And why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:25-33).
God has promised His children that He will provide for their spiritual needs also. They are His blessings from the heavenly places.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Eph. 1:3).
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).
As a matter of fact, He has promised not to deny His faithful children anything that they ask Him for.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" (Matt. 7:7-11).
- Fourth Stanza:
"No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you; Lean, weary one, upon His breast, God will take care of you."
God cares when we face temptations that would test our faith. And though He cares and loves us, He allows our faith to go through the fire to purify and help us grow in our faith.
"After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am" (Gen. 22:1ff)
However, we can confidently lean on Him for strength, comfort, and guidance in our temptations. He will surely come to our rescue as we endure our test.
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor. 10.13).
God has provided in His Word so many wonderful examples of faithful heroes who looked to God for help amid their trials, difficulties, and afflictions.
"And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect" (Hebrews 11:32-40).
CONCLUSION:
Our loving and merciful God cares for us His children in all circumstances of life. He will take care of us through every day, o'er all the way. He will take care of us, for He has promised to help us that we may be able to endure our trials and sufferings. God has promised to take care of us as baby birds gather under their mother's wings, looking for protection and safety. He has promised us that He will protect us, and we must believe Him and trust Him! God has committed Himself to providing for His children who sincerely trust and obey Him. Thus we must believe in God's promise that He will take care of us, come what may. What a loving and merciful God we serve! A God who keeps all His promises!
May we trust and obey God in all circumstances of life, for He who has promised is faithful to all His promises.
Luci
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