Does God Even Care??

(submitted by Kerry Patton)

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14

An odd question isn’t it?  I mean, we know that God cares for us…we KNOW that.  But what about the little things?  Does God care when I can’t find my keys?  Is God concerned when I’m late and the traffic is backing up ahead of me?  How involved is our God in the minutia of our lives?  Well…let me share a story with you.

Last week, my niece Alyssa travelled to Texas from Indiana to attend an SAT boot camp in Dallas to get her ready for her college entrance exams.  Her older sister Elizabeth had flown ahead of the family to San Antonio to attend her boyfriend Brittin’s graduation from (coincidentally enough) his graduation from Air Force boot camp.  She and Brittin have been dating for over seven years!

While there, Elizabeth’s boyfriend proposed to her and they are now engaged to be married.  My sister Melissa met her daughter Elizabeth in Abilene following the graduation and brought her up to Weatherford for a few days of visiting while the other daughter was in Dallas. 

While visiting, early one morning Elizabeth went out for a morning jog.  During her jog, she happened to see someone’s wedding ring lying in the middle of the street.  She picked it up and put it in her pocket until she finished her jogging and then brought it to me back at the house.

Elizabeth was very concerned that some woman had lost her wedding ring.  This reality was particularly important to her because she had gotten engaged only a few days before.  Laura and I assured her that we would do all we could to find the owner of the ring.  We began to contact neighbors and try to get the word out to see if any was missing a ring.  No one had lost a ring.  So whose ring was it?  If we couldn’t find an owner, we would just turn it in to the police.

Surprise!!  Yes, He Cares!!
A week later, a note appeared in our mailbox.  No doubt mailed to every resident of the neighborhood, it detailed the story of a realtor who had come out to show a home in our neighborhood, and had taken her ring off for a moment.  Then, she got distracted and got out of the car without putting the ring back on.  She had gone back to look for it, but couldn’t find it anywhere.  The note included a photo of the ring.

I couldn’t help but think of all that God had orchestrated to make certain that this woman’s ring would be returned to her.  Had my niece not gone for that early morning jog, it seems likely that the ring would have been run over by multiple autos the following day.  Further, following the almost five inches of rain we had only a few days later, it seems likely that the ring would have been washed away never to be found again.  And yet…God used a young woman who would know how precious a lost ring would be to a bride.  He brought my niece all the way from Indiana to find that ring early in the morning before any harm could happen to it.  Perhaps another individual might have simply taken the ring to a pawn shop or jeweler and reaped the profit of the find.  But no, on this day…God chose one of his own to be at the right place at the right time…so that that which had been lost could be found.

Who knows…perhaps the trip to the SAT boot camp, the whole trip to Texas, Elizabeth and Brittin’s lengthy relationship and engagement, all of it…orchestrated…no, not for a lost ring, but so that Almighty God could demonstrate his love for his children.  For me, it was an Esther moment!

Prayer
Father God, thank you so much for caring about even the smallest details of our lives.  I praise you that NOTHING in your entire universe is lost.  You know where every single atom is…every one.  Thank you for bringing not only salvation and eternal life, but also the treasures and joys of THIS life as well.  What an amazing God you are!  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.