GOD CARES FOR YOU

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

GOD CARES FOR YOU

READ:  Matthew 14:1-14

Jesus…saw a great multitude; and He was moved

with compassion for them.  Matthew 14:14

John the Baptist had been martyred by King Herod.  John was Jesus’s cousin and friend, and his death must have touched Jesus deeply.  I believe that’s why He sought refuge from the crowds.  Matthew wrote, “He departed from there [His hometown and place of ministry] by boat to a deserted place by Himself” (14:13).

Jesus wanted to be alone to grieve, but the crowd pressed Him with their needs and wouldn’t let Him get away (v. 13).  Seeing the multitudes and their pain, Jesus was moved with compassion for them.  Despite His own heartache, He began to heal their sick (v.14).  He didn’t let His own grief keep Him from ministering to them.

Perhaps you’re a caregiver-a pastor, a teacher, a nurse, or a counselor.  Maybe you’re a mother with small children or the spouse of an invalid.  You have your own struggles, disappointments, heartaches-and no one seems to care about you.

But there is someone who cares.  God does.  He knows your sorrow as no one else does, and He understands the depths of your misery.  You can give your cares to Him (1 Peter 5:7) and find in His presence His love, consolation, and the strength you need to move from your own grief to the grief of others.  You can care for others because God cares for you.   DHR

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. -Graeff

Because God cares for us, we can care for others.