Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Does God care?

I feel the need to publicly acknowledge the blessings I have received this past week.  I feel that sometimes we think that God may not care about us as much as we'd like Him to.  We may feel that He cares about some aspects of our lives, but other things just aren't that important to Him.  He may care about our families or our health or our church attendance, but when it comes to the grades on our tests, the problem with the dishwasher, or the annoying dog next door, we may think He really doesn't notice it.

I guess that when I think of these things, something inside me whispers, "have you given Him the chance?".  And you know what?  I think I oftentimes don't.  I don't ask him to care about my test grades, to care about helping me figure out how to get the dishwasher working, or if somehow he can help me ignore the incessant yapping next door. I don't ask him to perfect my prayers, to adjust my attitude, to streamline my studying.  I just don't think it's important enough.

Now I'm not a parent, but I have no doubt that for all you parents out there, if your child comes to you, no matter how small or insignificant his or her need, you will do whatever it takes to help your son or daughter.  Why?  Because you love them more than anything else and that is what motivates you.

I have seen for myself in these past few days that God truly loves me and cares for me more than I could ever comprehend.  God is in the details of my life.  He wants to bless me and help me in everything I ask Him.

These past few days have been really rough.  I am an applied math major here at college (and I can hear the inward groaning as any of you think about doing math for the rest of your life).  And it's true, it's hard.  But I love it.  It is very important to me.  These past few days have seen a barrage of big assignments and burdensome projects that have overwhelmed me.  But that same voice inside has whispered, "Have you given Him the chance to help?"  And so I tried.  I asked God in sincere prayer to please make it possible for me to finish my homework.  I prayed with faith and with hope and a desire to see His hand manifested in my life.  And you know what?  He does care.

Though I work two jobs, am taking 15 credits, and am active in my family and church, God made the time in my schedule to give me the adequate time and knowledge to finish this homework.  It has been a relief and a blessing in so many ways.  Though we may think that to God these things may seem trivial, tiny, and trite, because they are important to us, they are important to Him.

I know that God loves us.  He is in the details of our lives and He is waiting, literally, just waiting to bless us beyond what we can imagine.  The question is, "Have you given Him the chance?"

Matthew 21:22
3 Nephi 18:20

-Ben Merrill
P.S.- If this touched you, please let it touch others by reposting.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing this experience. It's a great reminder that God does care. I decided to go back to school and having a family with 3 kids, I needed God so many times this past year.

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    1. Thank you, anonymous. :) Our hope is that something we write touches someone that needs it, so it is refreshing to hear that it has helped you. :) And I agree with you, we need God for so many things, and I think that we often don't realize just how much we need him. I know that I certainly underestimate how much he wants to help me. A thought for all of us would be to look at areas in our life where we don't involve God and then ponder on how we can let Him into that part of our life. Again, thank you very much. :)

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