Does God really care?

Does God really care? It's a question that has been asked for ages. It's also one dealt with head on by the Scriptures. From the psalmists who questioned God's presence to Job who doubted God's concern to the prophets who questioned God's tenderness for His people, the question of God's compassion for His creation has always been around. The answer to that question is best answered, not with words, but with the arrival of Jesus.

I remember a valuable lesson I learned many years ago, while I was serving as a summer missionary in California. One lady who was leading us told me, if you want to show a kid you care, get down in the dirt with him when he cries. (not the exact words but the essence of the lesson she was teaching). Isn't that exactly what God did with the arrival of Jesus? For thousands of years He had watched tenderly and listened to the cries of creation--sometimes even choosing to intercede with miracles. He understood the depths of their pain and, beyond the expectations of everyone, God "sat down in the dirt" with us so that He could feel what we felt. But He took that one step further. He showed us how to live life in this world as we anticipate the Rescue that will come.

If you don't believe that God cares, you don't understand what the arrival, the Emmanuel, is for mankind. If you doubt the depths of God's love, you haven't noticed the tears that frequently filled Jesus' eyes while He was here.

Here is something really cool that Philip Yancey (amazing author) points out in one of his latest books. When you read straight through the Bible, you notice an important difference between the Old Testament and the New. The Old Testament gives record of many expressions of doubt, anguish and fear. But there is little indication of this in the NT. Things hadn't changed. There were still troubles, pain, fear and persecution. The difference? The witnesses of the NT had seen the purest expression of love possible. While they write of troubles that existed and those still to come, their understanding was tempered because they had been with Jesus. And Jesus proves, once and for all, that God loves you and me deeply. Yes, He absolutely cares. Don't let this season pass without understanding the full impact of the statement made by those angels: "Christ is born! God is here!"