Francis Bourdillon, 1873

God cares for you, poor Christian. This is good news indeed. It would be good news if I were to tell you that the King in the castle cares for you, or the rich lady in the square, or the great farmer who feeds half the parish. This would be good news; for you would feel sure that, if any such person cared for you, you would never lack. But I bring you far better news when I tell you that God cares for you—the great God who made Heaven and earth. Yet so it is. God does care for you.

"But how do you know that He cares for me?"

Because He says so. The Bible is God's book; and the Bible says, "Casting all your care upon Him—for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).

"What, for me—a poor old creature like me, who am of no use to anybody?"

Yes, for you. There are many words of comfort for the poor in the Bible. "You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor" (Psalm 8:10). "The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, their tongues fail for thirst. I the Lord will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them" (Isaiah 41:17). "He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer" (Psalm 102:17). You see then, that God does care for His poor—why should He not care for you? And your being old as well as poor, "a poor old creature," as you call yourself—does not make God care for you the less.

Can you think that God cares for people when they are young—and leaves off caring for them when they get old? "Even to your old age I am He, and even to gray hairs will I carry you!" (Isaiah 46:4). And read the words of David in the 71st Psalm: "Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails" (Psalm 71:9); and again: "Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me" (Psalm 71:18). It is quite clear from other words of his in that psalm, that David felt sure his prayer would be heard, so that the whole psalm is very encouraging to us. No, God will not forsake you because you are old. He cares for the old Christian—He cares for you.

"But I have not cared for him as I ought." Well, if God were like man, that might be a reason why you should fear that God would not care for you. But God is not like man: "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways—says the Lord" (Isaiah 55:8). 

If some great man should take a poor man and be very kind to him, feeding him and clothing him and giving him all he needed; and yet the poor man should not love him or try to please him, but would forget him or do what he knew would vex him—the rich man would soon give up caring for one so ungrateful and would leave him to himself. But God does not do so. He has fed and clothed you and taken care of you all your life; and you have been like that poor man, for you yourself say that you have not cared for God as you ought, and I dare say that is true. It would be but just—if God were to care for you no more. But this is not His way. It is man's way, but it is not God's way.

See what the Lord Jesus Christ said: "He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45). "He is kind to the unthankful and the evil" (Luke 6:35). God cares for those who do not care for Him. He sends new mercies to those who have never thanked Him for the old ones, and feeds and clothes and helps those who have been fed and clothed and helped by Him for years and yet do not love Him for it. So that your not having cared for God, is no proof that He does not care for you. He is better to us, than we deserve, far better; or we should fare badly.

Yes, you may be poor; you may be old; you may be one who has not cared for God—yet God cares for you.

Suppose God did not care for you—what would have become of you long ago? You have clothes, though they may be poor ones; you have food to eat, though it may be coarse; you have a roof over your head, though it may not be a grand one; you meet with troubles, and yet you get through them; you have been ill sometimes—yet you have got well again. I am sure God cares for you—for I see that He does. If He feeds you and clothes you and gives you a house to live in and helps you through trouble and heals you when you are sick—then does not this show that He cares for you? Would He do all this for one He did not care for?

But this is not all. He does all this for your body—what does He do for your soul? He cared so much for you, and such as you, that He sent His own dear Son to die for you. You never asked Him to do so; you did not even know you needed it. But He knew you did. He saw that you and I and all of us were lost, and He cared for us and sent His dear Son Jesus Christ to save us. And think what He is doing still. He gives us Bibles and churches and ministers, and all the means of grace; He thus teaches us again and again how we may be saved through Christ; He bids us to pray to Him and promises to hear us in all our prayers.

You say that you have not cared for Him as you ought; then you could not complain if He had cut you off. But He has not cut you off; He has borne long with you and does bear with you still; He is waiting to be gracious.

What does this show, but that He cares for you? Oh, doubt no more that He cares for you. Old and poor as you are, and careless as you have been—yet He does care for you. Believe it. Begin now to care for Him. He has spared you so long, that you may repent of your sins and be saved. Delay no longer. Go to Him. Open your heart to Him. Tell Him of your sins, your needs, your weakness. "Draw near to God—and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8). Ask Him to forgive you, help you, and bless you, for Jesus Christ's sake. Say, "God be merciful to me a sinner!" Say, "Lord, help me and bless me." Pray without ceasing—and He will certainly hear your prayers, for He does care for you.