Hymn: Does Jesus Care?

In 1901, pastor Frank Graeff was inspired by one of my favorite verses from 1 Peter.

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

What stood out to Graeff was the last bit - "He cares for you." Graeff had been going through a terrible time of trials and struggles. While meditating on the scriptures, the wonderful truth of this verse struck him. And so he penned this hymn. May it be an encouragement to us. You can hear the melody and read about this hymn on Cyberhymnal.

Does Jesus Care?

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth or song,
As the burdens press, and the cares distress
And the way grows weary and long?

Chorus

Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.

Does Jesus care when my way is dark
With a nameless dread and fear?
As the daylight fades into deep night shades,
Does He care enough to be near?

Does Jesus care when I’ve tried and failed
To resist some temptation strong;
When for my deep grief there is no relief,
Though my tears flow all the night long?

Does Jesus care when I’ve said “goodbye”
To the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks,
Is it aught to Him? Does He see? (Discovery Singers wording: "It is known to him? Does he see?")

I first heard this hymn on the Discovery Singers CD, Great Is Thy Faithfulness. They sing it very well, with a few slight changes in wording from the original text. I really like their layout of the song, too. They sing three verses, then finally end with the chorus. The build-up is great, then at last they arrive at the chorus, singing the hopeful conclusion: "Oh, yes! He cares! . . ."

I find it interesting that Graeff was so encouraged by this passage from Peter, and that he wrote the words as he did for this hymn. It is clear that the assurance of Jesus' concern alone was a sufficient comfort for Graeff during this period of tribulation in his life.

As I have thought about this hymn, I have wondered, "Despite the beauty of its truth, would I really be encouraged by its words in the middle of intense trial?"

I think my inclination would be to say, "If Jesus cares, why isn't he doing something about my trial?!!" I think as Christians, we often prefer action from God. Knowledge of his love can be difficult when we don't sense it. When the grit of life is so real and present, we can find it difficult to receive comfort from the words of scripture or hymns such as this.

So why take comfort from a hymn such as this? Why take peace from knowledge of God's care?

First of all, we must remember that God is sovereign. He has told us to take comfort from him, so we must. I think of Psalm 46:10:

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (NIV)

This verse brings us back to our senses. "I am God" is one of the most potent statements we can ever hear. All that exists is for the purpose of exalting God. And because he is God, we can be still. We can rest in the knowledge of his sovereignty. And we must.

Second, we know that God trains his people with trials, and he encourages us to learn perseverance. Consider the profound words of James:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." - James 1:2-4

Trials are for our own good. When we look at God's sovereignty during these times, and know that he cares, we can accept the peace he gives. We can remember God's words to Paul:

" 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' " - 2 Corintians 12:9

That is why we can take comfort in him - because his grace is sufficient. When we are weak, there is God's power made known.

Third, I quote the wonderful missionary, elder, and preacher, Don Allen. When speaking about the reality of God not answering earnest prayer as we had hoped:

"When that happens, you yield. You yield."

We must submit to God's majestic rule. As Peter says:

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." - 1 Peter 5:6

I think that is why the hymnist found peace in his despair. He knew that God's grace is sufficient. He learned the peace of yielding to God's mighty hand, of persevering by the grace of Jesus. When we know that Jesus cares, and believe it, we can take deep rest in him. We can be still in the knowledge of his very existence and majesty. Our trials are a chance for his strength to reign, and for us to be trained and sharpened in the process. It is never easy, for certain. And yet, we obey. He has told us to cast all our anxiety on him, and so we do. No one can carry our burdens or solve our tragedies except Christ alone. That is why it is good to know that Jesus cares.

So that you can pray

Today, I'll share with you a verse that has been a great challenge to me. Perhaps you will find a challenge in it as well.

1 Peter 4:7 -

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.” (NIV)

“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.” (ESV)

This exhortation is especially challenging to me because of the phrase “clear minded”. Do you ever find it difficult to be clear minded? Living in the culture we do, with myriad opportunities and distractions available to us, how is it even possible to be clear minded? This is a great struggle for me. I am someone who likes to dabble. A hobbyist in general; I like to try everything. There are so many wonderful things in creation to test out and to become mediocre at - which I do. I am also a person whose mind contains gears that are always running. I wake up in the morning and my brain is instantly whirring. So the idea of having a clear mind is a very inviting one, even if it sometimes feels out of reach.

I find that to achieve a clear mind, I have to focus on it. Typically, meditation works best for me. I use a technique I learned from my naturopathic doctor. She advised me to close my eyes, sit in a relaxed position, and to imagine all my thoughts floating by like boats on the water. Rather than letting any one thought grab a hold of my mind, I need to acknowledge each one and let it float by, in and out of my view. She also recommended taking one word or thought and focusing on that. So as I watch my thoughts float by, I imagine far out in the distance that I see the light of Jesus. I imagine that he is standing there in his radiance, noticing me and loving me. I will sometimes think or utter the word “Jesus” repeatedly to keep my focus.

Even 5 minutes of that kind of activity will calm the mind to some degree. The only problem is, I have a hard time getting into a place where I can focus like that. 5 minutes isn't very long, but sometimes there aren't 5 quiet minutes in my house to meditate, with small kids ever present. Many of you who are parents know what I mean.

One other trick I have employed is to align my focus from the get go each day. When I wake up, I try to make God my first thought. I try to send up prayers of worship, acknowledging his sovereignty. I think through verses like Lamentations 3:22-23:

“Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (NIV)

I think that self-control is a discipline that Peter knew to empower clear mindedness. The two go hand in hand to prepare an adequate mental state for prayer. We have all experienced at some point the loss of focus during prayer. Maybe we've even become drowsy or fallen completely asleep. Maybe our minds turn toward everyt other issue in our lives, taking our mind away from those moments with God. I don't think the self-control here needs to refer only to clearing our mind for prayer. Rather, I think it beckons us to a day-to-day lifestyle of self-control in all things, so that when we settle into a time of prayer, we are already well-practiced and acquainted with self-control.

How many times have we offered half-baked prayers because we lacked a clear mind and/or self-control? Thank God for his mercy.

But, this verse ought to remind us of the urgency with which we need to focus. Scot McKnight writes:

“Thinking that the end of history is at the door and the Judge is about to enter through it can energize one's prayers and lead to a specially effective focus in those prayers. “ (The NIV Application Commentary: 1 Peter. Zondervan, 1996.)

Like Peter, we should remember that this life on earth, from a perspective of eternity, is coming quickly to a close. Every minute, we draw nearer to that time when we will stand before God in judgment. Oh, how wonderful to receive words of joy and glory from him at that time!

Peter knew how easy it was to have a mind full of distractions. He knew that the mind is easily filled with endless streams of running thoughts. He knew how difficult it is to focus, and how easy it is to approach the sacred practice of prayer with only half-hearted attentiveness. How would he react if he could see the world today? In this light, my own constant failure is quite stark before my eyes.

Let us continue disciplining ourselves in lives of clear mindedness and self-control, so that we can pray. Holy Spirit, help us.

...And be thankful

After going through a Biblical text many times (or any other text for that matter), you start to notice certain things you wouldn't have noticed before, as you may know from your own experience.

One such feature that stands out to me in Colossians is Paul's repeated emphasis on thankfulness to God.

Using the NIV, we see this emphasis 6 times:

1:10-12 - Paul prays that the Colossians may “live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

2:6-7 - “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

3:15 - “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

3:16 - “Let the words of Christ dwell in your richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom , and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

3:17 - “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the father through him.”

4:2 - “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

Clearly, thankfulness is of great importance to the apostle. Do we take enough time to thank God - to really devote time and energy to thanking him? Every minute we aren't suffering is another moment lived under his mercy. Our list of things to be thankful for is an endless one. Paul knew this. His letter to the Colossians is relatively short - only 4 chapters - but he is so aware of our need for gratitude that he mentions it 6 times, as if every interaction we have with God and others naturally includes thankful awareness.

Imagine how God must desire our thankfulness, not just in words, but with sincere hearts. He must delight greatly when one of his children looks up to him with a truly grateful heart, acknowledging his goodness and our need, his grace and our dependence, his power and our weakness. Too often, I think we assume, “He knows I'm thankful.” Let us not forget that our relationship with him is like relationships with the people in our everyday lives. Anyone appreciates being thanked for something they've done for someone else - even though it isn't required or expected. It simply let's them know you appreciated the blessing. Parents train their children from the beginning to say “thank you” for what they've received. Certainly we don't deserve all the countless blessings in our lives, so how can we not be thankful?

So here's a question we ought to ask ourselves: Why aren't we more thankful?

Do we find it difficult to be thankful?

Do we take God's grace for granted?

Is our prayer time only enough to allow other kinds of “more important” prayer?

Is it hard to think of what to be thankful for? Why?

One experiment I did a while back was to actually write a list of blessings I could be thankful for. I kept this list with me for a while, praying through some of them frequently.

Our thankfulness is a sign of our faith - our acknowledgment that we really believe God is the originator of every good thing (James 1:17). When we take time to remember what God has done for us in his mercy, he is glorified and we draw closer to him. Then, with his blessings before our eyes, there is no other natural response than to love him and praise him more - which is our primary calling as his children.