Does Jesus Care?

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?

Does Jesus care when my way is dark with a nameless dread and fear?
As the daylight fades into deep night shades, does He care enough to be near?

Does Jesus care when I’ve tried and failed to resist some temptation strong;
When for my deep grief, there is no relief, though my tears flow all the night long?

Does Jesus care when I’ve said “goodbye” to the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks, Is it aught to Him? Does He see?

Did the title to this hymn strike you funny?  It did me.  The first thought I had was “What a stupid question!!”  Sure, Jesus cares.  The Bible says He does.  Right? Then I was reminded of the times in Scripture where the Psalmist asks some pretty direct, even stupid, questions of God.  Here are a couple of examples.  Psalms 10:1 says “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?  Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” Is God really far off?  Can He hide himself?  Psalm 42:9 says “Why have you forgotten me?”  Does God have memory problems?  Psalm 44:23 says “Awake O Lord, Why do you sleep?”  Does God really require sleep?  Aren’t all of those pretty dumb questions?  The answer to that is yes, but in the question, you can get of sense of the Psalmist desperation and frustration, and you understand that he is just being honest with God about how he is feeling, and I think the same is true with this particular hymn.

I like the following phrases in this hymn:

• “pained too deeply for mirth or song” – If you are around me long enough, you know that I always have a song I’m singing or humming.  It’s not always a hymn or Christian song (sorry Mom), but I’ve typically got some song running through my warped head.  However, I can remember times in my life when it was hard to sing.  I can specifically recall being at the funeral of my Granny, and hearing certain hymns being played, but not being able to sing along.  The grief I was feeling for Granny being gone overwhelmed my ability to sing the words even though I knew them to be true.  That is the kind of feeling the author is describing here, and he is wondering if the Lord really cares.

• “Does He care enough to be near?” – Isn’t it funny that in times of grief, especially after the loss of a loved one, that we want to be around family and friends?  We may not want to talk a lot, but it helps knowing that these people are just near.  Their presence provides us comfort during these troubled times.  The author in this particular verse is desperately desiring to feel the presence of the Lord.  He just wants to the Lord to be near because he knows feeling the presence of the Lord will confirm to him that the Lord does care. 

• “Is it aught to Him? Does He see?” – Finally, can you feel the desperation in the author’s words in the last verse of this song?  He wonders if the Lord realizes how broken-hearted he is, and feels like no one in the world cares.  I get the mental picture of someone staring up into space and asking God – “Are you there? Can you hear me?”  I have never been in this place, but I know that people can reach the point of grief where they become extremely honest with God and they share their heart.

You may have noticed that after reading the four verses to this hymn, you are left kind of wondering because there wasn’t an answer to the question – Does Jesus Care?  I intentionally omitted the chorus to the hymn above because I think it is more powerful when that question is answered after reading about the difficult circumstances of life found in the four verses.  The chorus reads as follows:  “O yes, He cares, I know He cares, His heart is touched with my grief; When the days are weary, the long night dreary, I know my Savior cares.”  I hope that our testimony is the chorus of this song.  I hope that each of us can echo the phrase “O yes He cares, I know He cares” because we have experienced His comfort and care during a period of tragedy or grief in our lives.

One of the more familiar phrases from the Charles Schultz Peanut’s comic is “Good Grief.”  I have used that phrase many times when dealing with my kids, but when I think about it, it doesn’t really make a lot of sense.  Can grief be good?  That also seems like a stupid question.  However, if it is during times of grief that we realize the Lord’s closeness and His care, then grief can be “good.”  Psalms 34:18 says “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart;  and saveth such as be a contrite spirit.”   Do you want the Lord to be near?  Is your heart broken by the things of this world or by a tragedy that has affected your life?  His promise is that He will be near you during those times.  You don’t have to wonder if He cares.  You know that He does.

Here’s a link to the singing of this hymn by Doug Oldham and Ben Speer.  I apologize for the video in advance because it is not that clear, but I think you will enjoy this great hymn.