How God shows He cares

You have read in the Bible how God takes cares of everything if you trust Him. If you believe He will provide for everything, and if you pray then He will answer. You share this with some friends, and to your surprise, there is disbelief. You are amazed, because, you know they read the same scripture you do, and perhaps even the same translation. To your puzzled _expression, comes the reply, “God gave you a brain so you could use it,” or “How do you know it is the voice of God,” or “God has more important things to worry about.” Some go as far as to say, “God does not intervene in the affairs of men.” Yet, Daniel 2 shows me differently.

Daniel 2 shows me that the attitude of these nay-sayers is not new. If anything, it is an age old attitude arising from the fall of Adam and Eve. The question was put to Eve in a subtle manner, suggesting doubt in the form of, did God really say thus and thus...? So the tendency to doubt and distrust is not new, not for the followers of God, (and certainly not for those who follow lesser gods). Indeed, this is the human condition. From Genesis through Revelation, we can find numerous instances of doubt, and distrust of God's love and care for us. So, we should not be surprised, when specifically in Daniel 2, we see the wise men of the court, intimating the same thing, namely, that God is far away, and cannot be bothered with trivial things, such as the meaning of a dream. In fact, their response to King Nebuchadnezzar's command to reveal his dream and its interpretation is:

Daniel 2:11 "And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh."

To these wise men, the gods did not live among their creation, instead, he remained afar off--perhaps disinterested. We wonder, how can Christians -- those who know and love God, have the same belief system as those who make no profession? How is this possible? It's certainly understandable that a new follower of Christ could have questions about the nearness of God to us. But how can we? Through the various authors of the scriptures, God has described how the enemy has clouded our minds so that we cannot discern God's personal love and care for us. Yet, many behave as if God intended for us go out on our own -- become independent thinking -- once we are of age. Although many think this way, a different picture presented in the scripture. And, that picture is crucial to understanding the Gospel message and prophecy.

The accurate and true picture of God, is that He is so interested in us that He even knows the amount of hair we have -- or in some cases, no longer have, on our heads (Matthew 10:30). He states, "Behold, I have engraven thee on the palms of My hands; thy walls are continually before Me" (Isaiah 49:16). Here God is telling us that He knows all about us, and that like a precious jewel with an engraved message of love from the beloved, He has engraved our names on His hands-- we are never forgotten. God also says that He has searched and known us, that our thoughts are continually before Him, that He is before, behind (and in) us, and even laid His hand upon us. Through the psalmist, David, God continues by saying that He knew us when as yet we were not made, when we were unperfected (in the womb), and that in His book all was written, even when there was none (Psalms 139:1-5, 15, 16). How much more of an intimate knowledge could God have concerning us. And, the whole worship service -- yes, the plan of salvation is one long story of God initiating a relationship with us, in hopes that it will be reciprocal.

Looking back to the inception of the 'God with us' experience, we see in Exodus 25:8 & 29:45, God telling Moses: “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.” Furthermore, in Isaiah 9:6, a child is promised us, and in Matthew 1:21-23, we see His name is not only "Jesus -- who will save us from our sins, but Emmanuel, which is interpreted, God with us." In John 14: 2, 3, Jesus says that although He's going away He wants to be with us, so He's preparing a place for us that where He is, we might be too. Lastly, Paul assures us in 1 Corinthians 2:16, that God’s Spirit dwells in our body-temples. It's amazing how often Christ has told us that He desires intimacy with us. Unfortunately, sometimes we're slow to hear, afraid as were the 'Children of Israel,' who when the Lord spoke, " And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die" (Exodus 20:19; Hebrews 12:19, 20). Thus, another way God shows He cares, is by choosing persons to speak to us in His behalf--that we not be afraid.

So in essence, God dwells among us, through His prophets. The word in Hebrew for prophet is “Nabi.” It may mean: one who is called to men in the name of God, or one who calls to men on behalf of the name of God. (It is also possible to mean: One who calls to God in prayer). A prophet then is the one who not only speaks the words of God, given from God, but gives the message to the audience targeted by God, for His purposes. A prophet is an ambassador. When God sends the prophet somewhere, the Prophet represents Him (See Jonah). The scripture says that prophets "were men of like passions." Although they did not consider themselves more special than others, they did think their relationship with God was special and wished all men could have the same relationship. Prophets were in a continual communication with God -- as was Enoch-- and submitted their will entirely to God -- continuously.

How could you tell if a prophet was from God? According to our lesson, the true prophet's message always focused on God, who inspired or gave the message. True prophecy always reveals God’s glory – which is His character (Exodus 33:18). True prophecy always reveals God’s intention – which is to, 1) save us from Sin and its eternal consequences and, 2) restore us to what we would have been had we never fallen, so that we may enjoy eternity with Him. True prophecy reveals God’s agape – unconditional Love. True prophecy reveals God does care for us. God dwells among us through His Son. “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:” (Philippians 2:6-7). Indeed, John 1:14 says that He as the Word, became flesh. Romans 8:3 says that He took upon Himself sinful flesh and “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15). Luke 4:1 says that Jesus was filled with the Spirit. And, this is the same Spirit Christ has promised to us if we ask for Him.

Speaking through the prophet Joel, God said:

Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
Joel 2:29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Just as Daniel and Sister White, were imbued with "His Spirit," God will pour His Spirit on us, and give gifts to men. We will all be called to use them to build up His kingdom, thereby demonstrating His character of unconditional love (I Corinthians, chapters 12-14). Are we willing to submit ourselves to His loving Spirit?

--
Raul Diaz & Maria Greaves-Barnes

The Special Insights web page resides at:
http://www.1888message.org/sabbathschool/