“That God cares about us is something that we believe; that God cares for us is something that we experience!” says District Apostle Andrew H. Andersen from Australia.
It is impossible for a human being to comprehend the greatness of God, the creator of all things. Just to understand the concept of creating all that which we see around us is beyond human ability. If we then think about the prospect of such an omnipotent being offering us “mere mortals” the opportunity to become His child and to take care of us and furthermore give us the opportunity to be with Him for eternity, we surely question how that could possibly be. However, as His children, we know that is exactly how it actually is! He cares about each individual and He has an open heart for each one, irrespective of anything. This was made clear by Apostle Peter when he preached to the household of Cornelius (Acts 10: 34–35).
God’s care is complete in every way
That God cares about us is something that we believe; that God cares for us is something that we experience! We can tell others that God cares for them and we can point to the Bible to support that statement. However, they must experience the effect of God’s care for themselves. That is not something that we can help them with. His care comes in an unlimited number of ways, each one tailor-made for the individual. This care is not limited to one’s earthly needs or protection; it is complete in every way.
I vividly recall a moment in time when it struck me as to how great God’s care for His creation really is. Having just been ordained as District Apostle at the time, I went to visit each of the countries entrusted to our district. One of these countries is a very small island in the Pacific ocean half way between Australia and Hawaii. Landing at the airport for the first time I was oblivious to the fact that the only road in the whole country had to be closed to traffic so that the aircraft could land, so small is this land in the middle of the world’s largest ocean. The one (single lane) road runs the entire length of the island and is eight km long. When one travels along it there is ocean on one side of the road and houses on the other side which also back on to the ocean, so narrow is the land mass which has a total area of 26 square kilometres. It made such a deep impression on me that in such a small and remote place on the earth there is a congregation filled with children of God who have been selected by grace just as we have. This experience still resonates within me as one of many that urges me to proclaim with thankfulness “Glory be to God, our Father”.
Photo: NAC Australia