How does God care for you?

Written on 10/18/2022
Christian Dunn

Verse: 2 Corinthians 7:5-7

5 For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.

Thoughts
"Harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fear within." Do you ever feel like that? Relationship issues on the outisde, anxiety within? Work frustration on the outside, insecurity within? Loss on the outside, grief within?

We've all been there, and maybe you are there right now, when life is just so hard. I want you to notice the next verses though. Paul tells us that God, "who comforts the downcast," comforted them. But how? How did God comfort them?

Sometimes we want God to move in supernatural ways. To change our circumstances, or to give us a sign, or to make us feel his presence. And God certainly does do those things sometimes. But often he chooses to comfort us in another way: through his people. Paul says, "God...comforted us by sending us Titus." Notice he didn't say that Titus comforted them. The comfort he received from Titus, he understood was actually God caring for them.

How can we apply this to our lives? Take a moment to reflect on who God has sent into your life. Who has God used to comfort you in those times of real pain? Who has God used to encourage you when you were struggling? Who has God given you to speak truth to you when you are confused?

Instead of just seeing those as people who are nice, let's begin to see them as God's gift to us. Let's see that God uses his people all the time to minister to each other. When someone touches your life, can you see the hand of God behind that? Like Paul, can you see God comforting you and encouarging through that person who is his vessel? And then once we can see it that way, we can be grateful and feel closer to God as we begin to see his care for us in more and more ways in our life. The truth is God's fingerprints are all over our lives, and I suspect we see only a fraction of his great care and love for us. 

Prayer
God open my eyes to see more and more how much you care for me.