Reading Matthew Chapter 6 verses 25 - 34

God Cares for All His People

We all have the responsibility of looking after something or someone at some time or other. Looking after things takes thought and effort if we are to do it properly. I heard a story about a little boy who's mum had to go out and asked him to look after the dog. When she came home the boy was stood on top of the front garden wall staring down the road but there was no sign of the dog. "Where's the dog?" asked mum, " I asked you to look after him." The little boy looked quite put out, " I did look after him, mum." He replied, "He got out under the gate and went off down the road so I climbed up on the wall and I looked after him all the way."

What is involved in looking after someone? We have, first of all, to want to look after them. We need to know where the person is. We have to know how they are so we can call a doctor if necessary. We have to know what they need. We have to know how to provide for them. We need to know how to protect them. We need the ability, the power and the strength to do all these things if we are really to look after someone.

It is a big responsibility. How much more a responsibility to have to care for several people - all on your own? Some people have responsibility for hundreds and thousands of people. Think about Generals with their armies. Think of the responsibility they hold. It is not the exact same kind of care as looking after a little baby but if a general doesn't get his men fed and comfortable, if he does not know how they are or where they are then he'll be in difficulty if he ever wants them to fight a battle. At the end of WW2 Hitler and his generals were sending out orders to soldiers who only existed in Hitlers head, he had already lost them all as casualties or as prisoners.

Generals only have to take care of armies. What about Kings and Governments who have responsibility for whole nations? How great a task it is to look after so many people. Food, healthcare, housing, gas, electricity, transport, fuel, protection, education, employment, and a hundred and one other things have to be arranged in a nation. Think of all the responsibility of arranging all those things for even a little nation like us here in the UK, population in 1995 58,258,000. It must be hundreds of times more difficult for a huge nation like China, population in 1995 1,221,462,000. It is difficult to grasp the amount of work needed to look after so many millions of people.

Imagine having the responsibility to look after the whole world. I do not mean just the people either. I mean literally the whole world and everything in it. The world is complicated. Even top scientists and the most capable people on earth admit there is more left to discover than they have discovered up to now. The Bible is quite right when it says in Psalms 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. The best of men is a man at best. Nobody can really guarantee anything.

The Earth is a huge rock 7,926 miles in diameter orbiting the sun at 66,600 mph. Think how much looking after that takes. But looking after the world involves everything on that huge rock from the smallest thing to the greatest.

The Lord Jesus looks after everything there is. The whole universe is His creation and He looks after every detail of it. Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
How often we think we have problems. Life is very pressured nowadays and things seem way over our heads to deal with. Our circumstances seem overwhelming yet most of the time people do not really understand even a fraction of the problems they have or the trouble they are in.

The Bible is plain. Our biggest and most terrible problem, one that will certainly overwhelm and ruin us for ever unless the problem is resolved is the fact that we are sinful in our minds and in our actions, we face God's righteous judgement and condemnation to eternity in hell because we have all broken all His laws. If we are to be concerned about anything surely we should be concerned about that first.

How often people want God to sort out their money or their job or their relationship problems but will not consider having Him deal with their greatest need. People do not want God in their lives - just what they think they can get out of Him. We need first and foremost to have things right between us and our God. Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The good news of the gospel is that The Lord Jesus has made the way for sinful people to be delivered. His perfect life and His terrible death were in the place of His people. He pleased God all His life and people who believe what The Lord Jesus says are counted as righteous people that please God. The Bible speaks of a robe of righteousness that is given as a covering for sinful people who trust The Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus takes all His perfection in the sight of God and lays it on all who trust Him.

In exchange He takes all their sin, puts it upon Himself and bears the punishment that all that sin would have brought on the sinner. The Lord Jesus takes the place of His people and gives them His place.

If The Lord Jesus can deal with a person's greatest need then surely He can look after lesser things. He knows all there is to know about everything. I had to look up in an encyclopaedia about how fast the earth orbits the sun. God knows all these things as He is the Creator and sustainer of them all. We imagine these tasks must be difficult. We cannot get our heads round them. God has infinite power. Even the great task of maintaining the whole universe does not put Him under any strain. Yet He is mindful of individual people and knows more about them than they know about themselves. How many hairs are there on our heads? Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. God knows when a sparrow falls to the ground in his universe. How much more is he mindful of His people?

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Will you seek this true peace from God through what The Lord Jesus has accomplished for sinners in His life, his death on the cross at Calvary, His resurrection after three days in the tomb and His ascension to Heaven to the right hand of God where He ever lives to intercede for His people?