Does God love some more than others?

No

9 of 23

by Dante Peoples

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Today, many people suffer unrelenting hardships as a result of wars, political or social upheavals, natural disasters, old age, sickness, dire poverty, and governmental bans. Likely you too are undergoing trials of one kind or another. At times, you may think that God is concealing his face from you. You well know the words of John 3:16: "God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son." Still, when you are suffering with no relief in sight, you may wonder: Does God really love me? Does he notice what I am going through? Does he care about me as an individual?'

Let's consider what happened to the apostle Paul. "There was given me a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan, to keep slapping me," he wrote, adding: "I three times entreated the Lord that it might depart from me." Jehovah God heard his entreaties. Nevertheless, he indicated to Paul that he would not intervene by means of a miraculous solution. Instead, Paul would have to rely on God's power to help him cope with his "thorn in the flesh." (2 Corinthians 12:7-9) Like Paul, you may be experiencing a certain ongoing trial. Perhaps you wonder, Does the fact that Jehovah God appears not to have done anything about my trial mean that he is unaware of my situation or that he does not care about me?' The answer is a resounding no! Jehovah's deep concern for each of his faithful servants is underscored by what Jesus told his apostles shortly after he selected them. Let us see how his words can encourage us today.

Jesus' word pictures effectively describe God's concern for each of His servants. Consider first the matter of the sparrows. In Jesus' day, sparrows were used for food, but because they were a threat to crops, they were largely viewed as pests. Sparrows were so abundant and cheap that two could be purchased for less than the equivalent of five cents in modern values. Twice that amount would buy not four but five sparrowsthe extra bird being thrown in, as if it had no value at all!Luke 12:6.

Jesus' analogy of the sparrows makes a powerful point: What seems valueless to humans is important to Jehovah God. Jesus further emphasized this truth by adding that a little sparrow would not "fall to the ground" without Jehovah's notice. The lesson is clear. If Jehovah God takes note of the smallest and most insignificant bird, how much more will he be concerned about the plight of a human who has chosen to serve him!
In addition to his illustration about the sparrows, Jesus said: "The very hairs of your head are all numbered." (Matthew 10:30) This brief but profound statement amplifies the point of Jesus' illustration about the sparrows. Consider: The average human head has about 100,000 strands of hair. For the most part, one hair seems just like the next, and no single hair seems to deserve our particular scrutiny. Yet, each hair is noticed and numbered by Jehovah God. Since this is the case, is there any detail of our life that Jehovah cannot know? Surely Jehovah understands the unique makeup of each of his servants. Indeed, he "sees what the heart is."1 Samuel 16:7.

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