I Am Feeling... Series

(I was raised knowing God cared, and it kept me alive. Many out there have no idea. They need to know, and we’re the messengers…)

1 Pet 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Some religious people suppose God is just a god who just creates. They say He doesn’t care about personal relationships… Some people think He’s the great watchmaker, who put the universe together like a fine Rolex, then just walked away from it and let it run itself out.

I: “I FEEL FOR YOU…”

But today I have a true message for you: We have a God who cares and a God who feels…

On our trip to Washington a few years ago, Jennifer and I visited my old High School: Rodgers High of Puyallup, Washington. Everything was new. I could hardly recognize the campus. But as we drove around the back of the school property, I noticed some old, abandoned lockers from the 80’s era… Those were the days… (haha) On the lockers was spray painted the word, “Metallica,” along with other names I won’t mention and the classic “So & so was here.”

People like to leave their name on things to proclaim, “I was here!” They carve it into trees, spray paint it on freeway overpasses and brick walls: “So and so was here” to remind their friends, “Hey, I’m here.” It gives them the sense that they’ll always be around.

Jesus left an undeniable reminder of His presence on the face of the earth in the form of a cross. His Name is inscribed in the wood: KING OF THE JEWS, and sealed in scarlet blood.

It’s the same blood that washes away your sins and mine. If you’re facing a circumstance in life today where you’re having a hard time remembering if God is aware of your situation and if He really cares, take look at the cross and remember, Jesus was there. He was there because He cares for you and He was there because He feels for you.

Jesus felt your thorns for you because He cares for you.

He felt the spikes that belonged in your hands for you.

He received the 40 lashes minus 1 for you. Why? Because He cares.

Today, He sits at the right hand of the Father God and pleads on your behalf because He bled for you. He loves you, He hears you, He understands you and He can relate with you because He lives with you day in and day out. There’s not a thing He doesn’t see that happens to you. You may not know as you’re walking down the street, that God is in front of you and behind you, and beside you to the left and to the right… You may not understand just how much He cares for you and how much He feels for you… But friends, He’s there 24/7, 360 days a year.

It was about 10 o’ clock in the morning, the time we usually start church.

A young lady sat up in bed. She looked over at the man lying next to her and in her heart she regretted spending the night with him. He was the 6th man she had shared her bed with. The other 5 married and divorced her. And frankly, this relationship didn’t seem any more fulfilling than the others. She wondered to herself, “What have I done with my life? What am I doing with this man?”

“Does anyone care about me? Can anyone relate to me?” She didn’t know Jesus was on His way.

Trying not to think about her sorrows, she ignored the pain and said to herself, “Shake it off! It’s another day. There are things that need to be done…”

Over in the corner of the room were some jars. They were clay, for holding water. They were empty and they need to be filled, so she picked them up and as she made her way outside she strolled through the city streets and markets, heading toward a popular place called Jacobs well. Along the way, she couldn’t help but relate to those empty jars of clay in her arms. She too was empty and dry. She too needed to be filled.

She had poured out every drop of herself. Emotionally and physically, she was drained. Everyone had taken from her freely, but no one had ever given back. She longed to be filled again. And as she made her way toward the well she thought to herself, “If only I could be filled up as easily as I can fill these jars of clay!” If only she could go to the well and be filled too.

She didn’t know she was headed down the path toward the solution to all of her problems.