Articles
God Cares For The Few
This world is becoming ever more unfriendly to those who believe and follow the word of the Lord, and it will not likely get any better anytime soon. Faithful disciples recognize this and accept the reality, knowing our Lord said long ago, “you will be hated by all for My name’s sake” (Luke 21:17), and, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18). This is not surprising to those who know the Lord, for as He said on another occasion, “men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:19, 20).
Living in such a world, a disciple might sometimes begin to think that the fact of being so greatly outnumbered by the ungodly means God has forgotten him or her, or that God doesn't really care. Such could not be further from the truth.
First of all, let us remember the promises of God. It is He who has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). It is when we fully and in all reality put our trust in God that we can say, “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Psa. 56:11). It doesn't matter if you are the only one on earth who is faithful, as long as you trust in God. God has promised to the faithful that even when the world abandons us — even should family and friends abandon us — He will not. As Paul said it, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38, 39).
Consider just a few examples from the Bible record that illustrate God's continued care for the faithful, though they may be few in number.
Sodom and Gomorrah. (Gen. 18, 19) In this familiar story, God was preparing to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their sinfulness, but Abraham intervened and asked God to spare the cities if he could find fifty, then forty, then thirty, then twenty, then ten righteous ones. When it came down to it, God cared enough for just ten people to save a city…if ten had existed.
Noah and Family. (Gen. 6-9) In this story that is also familiar to many, God was preparing to destroy the entire world because “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). But before He did this, he warned Noah and rewarded him and his family by commanding he build an ark for their preservation, while the rest of the world perished. God did not abandon the faithful, though the world was filled with wickedness, and He cared to save eight individuals.
Joshua and Caleb. (Num. 14) God delivered the Israelites from Egyptian bondage by His unmatched power, and none who witnessed those things should have doubted His ability to bring them into the Promised Land. But they did.
When they sent the twelve spies into the land to search it out and bring back a report, ten of the twelve declared it was not possible. But Joshua and Caleb still trusted that God was able, and they pleaded with the people to move forward with boldness and assurance that God would do exactly what He said He would do. Because the people believed the ten spies instead of God's promise, God condemned the vast majority [over age 20] to die in the wilderness, and only Joshua and Caleb entered. God cared for two individuals who were faithful.
Joseph. (Gen. 39-50) We all also probably know the story of Joseph, and how he was sold into slavery by his brothers. Critics may say that being sold into slavery and even being imprisoned unfairly was not exactly some sign of God being with him, but the text plainly says, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man” (Gen. 39:2) while with Potiphar, and even while in prison, “the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (Gen. 39:21). God gave him the ability to interpret dreams and that ability brought him to Pharaoh, who soon elevated him to the second position in the kingdom. It wouldn't be until Joseph was reunited with his brothers that he understood, “it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt” (Gen. 45:8). God cared for just one faithful servant.
A point that should be noted from these examples is that, though they were a minority, God cares for the faithful. It doesn't mean life won't be difficult at times, or that the faithful will be materially blessed and wealthy, or that we will enjoy good health and peace, while He is with us, but He will be with us if we are with Him. God didn't say that life will always be trouble-free, but hardships do not mean He has abandoned you.
Secondly, 'the majority' has never been a sign of our spiritual standing before God; as the previous-mentioned examples show, it is quite often a sign we are not right with God. Furthermore, Jesus reminds us that it will be “many” who travel the broad “way that leads to destruction,” while it will be “few who find” the narrow and difficult way “which leads to life” (Matt. 7:13, 14). This being true, it would not be wise for us to follow 'the majority' if we care to please God. 'The majority' will not reach heaven.
Jesus also spoke to the common people of the first century and warned, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:46). Sadly, too many religious men and women and churches today care what men say about them more than what God thinks. Today, many churches have become more like the world in what they believe and practice, and individuals nowadays choose churches that please them, rather than what pleases God. When we do this, we are separating ourselves from God, just as the Israelites did when they trusted in men instead of the one who delivered them.
Yes, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16), and, yes, Jesus “is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:2), but He has a special degree of love for those who are His, and His eyes are on those who have surrendered to Him to do His will. He loved all men enough to send His Son to die for sin, but He has reserved all spiritual blessings for those who are in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:3). The love that He has for us, His children, is such that we can say, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32).
So, when things get difficult or when you seem to be in a very small minority, don't think that you are alone, or that God has abandoned you. One of the devil's most used tools is getting disciples to believe God doesn't care about them, and that the fight we all fight is a one-man endeavor. He slanders God, but it is all a lie. God cares! Sometimes, trials come because we need to be tested (cf. 1 Pet. 1:6, 7), and sometimes trials come because life is simply unfair (cf. Eccl. 8:14), but whatever the situation, God is still with the faithful. God cares for the few.
God cares for you, too. —— Steven Harper
