Article 2
Does
God really care about you?
What
is God like? Does he have a name?
Is
it possible to get close to God?
HAVE you ever noticed the way children ask
questions? Many start asking as soon as they learn to speak. With wide, eager
eyes, they look up at you and ask such things as: Why is the sky blue? What are
the stars made of? Who taught the birds to sing? You may try hard to answer,
but it is not always easy. Even your best answer may lead to yet another
question: Why?
Children are not the only ones who ask
questions. As we grow up, we keep asking. We do this in order to find our way,
to learn of dangers that we need to avoid, or to satisfy our curiosity. But
many people seem to stop asking questions, especially the most important ones.
At least, they stop searching for the answers.
Why?
Does the Bible have the answers? Some feel that its answers are too hard to understand.
Others worry that asking questions could lead to shame or embarrassment. And
some decide that such questions are best left to religious leaders and
teachers. What about you?
Very likely you are interested in getting
answers to life’s big questions. No doubt you sometimes wonder: ‘What is the
purpose of life? Is this life all there is? What is God really like?’ It is
good to ask such questions, and it is important that you do not give up until
you find satisfying, reliable answers. The famous teacher Jesus Christ said: “Keep
on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep
on knocking, and it will be opened to you.”—Matthew 7:7.
If you
“keep on seeking” for answers to the important questions, you will find that
the search can be very rewarding.
(Proverbs 2:1-5) Despite what other people may have told you, there are
answers, and you can find them—in the Bible. The answers are not too
hard to understand. Better yet, they bring hope and joy. And they can help you
to live a satisfying life right now. To begin, let us consider a question that
has troubled many people.
IS GOD UNCARING
AND HARDHEARTED?
Many
people think that the answer to that question is yes. ‘If God cared,’ they
reason, ‘would not the world be a very different place?’ We look around and see
a world full of war, hatred, and misery. And as individuals, we get sick, we
suffer, we lose loved ones in death. Thus, many say, ‘If God cared about us and
our problems, would he not prevent such things from happening?’
Worse
yet, religious teachers sometimes lead people to think that God is hardhearted.
How so? When tragedy strikes, they say that it is God’s will. In effect, such
teachers blame God for the bad things that happen. Is that the truth about God?
What does the Bible really teach? James
1:13 answers: “When under trial, let no one say: ‘I am being tried by God.’
For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone.” So
God is never the source of the wickedness you see in the world around you.
(Job 34:10-12) Granted, he does
allow bad things to happen. But there is a big difference between allowing
something to happen and causing it.
For
example, think about a wise and loving father with a grown son who is still
living at home with his parents. When the son becomes rebellious and decides to
leave home, his father does not stop him. The son pursues a bad way of life and
gets into trouble. Is the father the cause of his son’s problems? No. (Luke 15:11-13) Similarly, God has not
stopped humans when they have chosen to pursue a bad course, but he is not the cause
of the problems that have resulted. Surely, then, it would be unfair to blame
God for all the troubles of mankind.
God
has good reasons for allowing mankind to follow a bad course. As our wise and
powerful Creator, he does not have to explain his reasons to us. Out of love,
however, God does explain it in his written Word. But rest assured that God is not responsible
for the problems we face. On the contrary, he gives us the only hope for a
solution!—Isaiah 33:2.
Furthermore, God is holy. (Isaiah 6:3) This means that he is pure and clean. There is no
trace of badness in him. So we can trust him completely. That is more than we
can say for humans, who sometimes become corrupt. Even the most honest human in
authority often does not have the power to undo the damage that bad people do.
But God is all-powerful. He can and will undo all the effects that wickedness
has had on mankind. When God acts, he will do so in a way that will end evil
forever!—Psalm 37:9-11.
HOW DOES GOD
FEEL ABOUT INJUSTICES WE FACE?
In the
meantime, how does God feel about what is going on in the world and in your life?
Well, the Bible teaches that God is “a lover of justice.” (Psalm 37:28) So he cares deeply about what is right and what is
wrong. He hates all kinds of injustice. The Bible says that God “felt hurt at
his heart” when badness filled the world in times past. (Genesis 6:5, 6) God has not changed. (Malachi 3:6) He still hates to see the suffering that is taking
place worldwide. And God hates to see people suffer. “He cares for you,” the
Bible says.—1 Peter 5:7.
How
can we be sure that God hates to see suffering? Here is further proof. The
Bible teaches that man was made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26) We thus have good qualities because God has good
qualities. For example, does it bother you to see innocent people suffer? If
you care about such injustices, be assured that God feels even more strongly
about them.
One of
the best things about humans is our ability to love. That also reflects God.
The Bible teaches that “God is love.” (1 John
4:8) We love because God loves. Would love move you to end the suffering
and the injustice you see in the world? If you had the power to do that, would
you do it? Of course you would! You can be just as sure that God will end
suffering and injustice. The promises mentioned in the Bible are not mere dreams
or idle hopes. God’s promises are sure to come true! In order to put faith in
such promises, though, you need to know more about the God who has made them.
GOD WANTS YOU
TO KNOW WHO HE IS
If you
want someone to get to know you, what might you do? Would you not tell the
person your name? Does God have a name? Many religions answer that his name is “God”
or “Lord,” but those are not personal names. They are titles, just as “king”
and “president” are titles. The Bible teaches that God has many titles. “God”
and “Lord” are among them. However, the Bible also teaches that God has a
personal name: Jehovah. Psalm 83:18 says:
“You, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth The truth is that God’s name appears thousands
of times in ancient Bible manuscripts. So Jehovah wants you to know his name
and to use it. In a sense, he is using the Bible to introduce himself to you.
God
gave himself a name that is full of meaning. His name, Jehovah, means that God
can fulfill any promise he makes and can carry out any purpose he has in mind.
God’s name is unique, one of a kind. It belongs only to him. In a number of
ways, Jehovah is unique. How is that so?
We saw
that Psalm 83:18 said of Jehovah: “You
alone are the Most High.” Similarly, Jehovah alone is referred to as “the
Almighty.” Revelation 15:3 says: “Great
and wonderful are your works, Jehovah God, the Almighty. Righteous and true are
your ways, King of eternity.” The title “the Almighty” teaches us that Jehovah
is the most powerful being there is. His power is unmatched; it is supreme. And
the title “King of eternity” reminds us that Jehovah is unique in another
sense. He alone has always existed. Psalm
90:2 says: “Even from time indefinite to time indefinite [or, forever] you
are God.” That thought inspires awe, does it not?
Jehovah is also unique in that he alone is the
Creator. Revelation 4:11 reads: “You
are worthy, Jehovah, even our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the
power, because you created all things, and because of your will they existed
and were created.” Everything that you can think of—from the invisible spirit creatures
in heaven to the stars that fill the night sky to the fruit that grows on the
trees to the fish that swim in the oceans and rivers—all of it exists because
Jehovah is the Creator!
CAN YOU BE
CLOSE TO JEHOVAH?
Reading about Jehovah’s awe-inspiring
qualities makes some people feel a little uneasy. They fear that God is too
high for them, that they could never get close to him or even matter to such a
lofty God. But is this idea correct? The Bible teaches just the opposite. It
says of Jehovah: “In fact, he is not far off from each one of us.” (Acts 17:27) The Bible even urges us: “Draw
close to God, and he will draw close to you.”—James 4:8.
How
can you draw close to God? To begin with, continue doing what you are doing now—learning
about God. Jesus said: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge
of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3) Yes, the Bible teaches that
learning about Jehovah and Jesus leads to “everlasting life”! As already noted,
“God is love.” (1 John 4:16)
Jehovah also has many other beautiful and appealing qualities. For example, the
Bible says that Jehovah is “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and
abundant in loving-kindness and truth.” (Exodus
34:6) He is “good and ready to forgive.” (Psalm 86:5) God is patient. (2 Peter
3:9) He is loyal. (Revelation 15:4)
As you read more in the Bible, you will see how Jehovah has shown that he has
these and many other appealing qualities.
True,
you cannot see God because he is an invisible spirit. (John 1:18; 4:24; 1 Timothy
1:17) By learning about him through the pages of the Bible, however, you
can come to know him as a person. As the psalmist said, you can “behold the
pleasantness of Jehovah.” (Psalm 27:4; Romans
1:20) The more you learn about Jehovah, the more real he will become to you
and the more reason you will have to love him and feel close to him.
You
will come to understand why the Bible teaches us to think of Jehovah as our
Father. (Matthew 6:9) Not only does
our life come from him but he wants the best life possible for us—just as any
loving father would want for his children. (Psalm
36:9) The Bible also teaches that humans can become Jehovah’s friends. (James 2:23) Imagine—you can become a
friend of the Creator of the universe!
As you
learn more from the Bible, you may find that some well-meaning people will urge
you to stop such studies. They may worry that you will change your beliefs. But
do not let anyone stop you from forming the best friendship you can ever have.
Of course,
there will be things that you do not understand at first. It can be a little
humbling to ask for help, but do not hold back because of embarrassment. Jesus
said that it is good to be humble, like a little child. (Matthew 18:2-4) And children, as we know, ask a lot of questions.
God wants you to find the answers. The Bible praises some who were eager to
learn about God. They checked carefully in the Scriptures to make sure that
what they were learning was the truth.—Acts
17:11.
The
best way to learn about Jehovah is to examine the Bible. It is different from
any other book. In what way? The next article will consider that subject.
WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES
▪ God cares about you personally.—1 Peter 5:7.
▪ God’s personal name is Jehovah.—Psalm 83:18.
▪ Jehovah invites you to draw close to him.—James 4:8.
▪ Jehovah is loving, kind, and merciful.—Exodus 34:6; 1 John 4:8, 16.
For more information please go to www.jw.org and click on the book: What Does the
Bible Really Teach
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