Jesus Cares

A Prayer for August 2006

We thank you, Lord, for your compassion. When we are hurting, even when we hide our hurt from the world, you know, and you are there for us.

That person who has lost their job, that teenager who is worried about her future, that child who is afraid of monsters under the bed, that baby who is hungry--you are with your people, Lord, in every difficulty, in every trouble.

Lord, for years now, people have been asking the question, “What Would Jesus Do?” Maybe we should have been asking, “What Would Jesus Feel?”

We know the answer to that, Lord. You feel compassion. You feel deep, heartfelt and unconditional compassion for the powerful and the powerless, the misguided and the misunderstood, the least and the lost, the nuisances and the nobodies. You feel compassion for us.

Back in 1901, Frank E. Graeff was going through some difficult times. He was despondent; he had doubts; he was in physical pain. He turned to the Bible for comfort and found these wonderful words in 1 Peter 5:7: “He cares for you.” After meditating on that truth, Graeff wrote a gospel song titled, "Does Jesus Care?"

The first verse asks:

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained

Too deeply for mirth or song,

As the burdens press, and the cares distress

And the way grows weary and long?

Then the chorus shouts an answer:

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.

Lord, you know the pain that we feel, and you care. When we stand by those who are suffering in the hospital, you suffer with them and us. If we stand in a police station, agonizing about loved ones in trouble with the law, you stand with us. If our cherished plans and dreams are taken away through the careless actions of others, or the injustice of the world, you feel our pain. When illness or death pushes in upon us, you are with us, Lord, because you love us. We thank you for that Love. Amen.

If you have questions or comments, email Tony Grant

Last Modified: 08/28/07