Human sympathy and divine care

At the moment there is in the media a crop of stories about people raising funds to help those who either live with adversity or die from it. Often sponsorship is involved. The person doing in the fund-raising may engage in some demanding feat of physical endurance. In some high profile cases the situation touches the hearts of sympathisers on a grand scale. Hairdresser Claire Squires had raised just £500 for Samaritans before she ran in the London Marathon. She died tragically shortly before the finish. Her fundraising page has now raised more than a million pounds. Researchers tell us that there are two main triggers to giving: a sense of emotional involvement and the urge to donate in memory of somebody.

 I wonder how much the average donor knows about Samaritans (formerly "The Samaritans")? They have some 17,000 volunteers who must submit to a rigorous training programme. They aim to offer a 24-hour service for those who are despairing (not necessarily suicidal). Many of the telephone calls come at the "unsocial" hours of 9pm to 2am each night. In one year (2007) Samaritans received 5,319,462 contacts. This work will benefit massively from the influx of funds from Claire's Just Giving appeal site. Samaritans wish to apply the money to aspects of the work which would be close to Claire's heart.

 Countless thousands of lives will have been saved and prolonged by dedicated workers, volunteers or professionals in the realm of caring, supported by generous giving. But do we understand the detail of that care? Even more, do we understand the detail of God's care for those who struggle with adversity - and His wish that their souls as well as their bodies may prosper?

 In Jesus' teaching we read these words from Luke 12:6-7. "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Jesus also remarked, "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?" (Luke 9:24-25 NIV).

 O teach me what it meaneth, 
that cross uplifted high, 
with One, the Man of Sorrows, 
condemned to bleed and die! 
O teach me what it cost Thee 
to make a sinner whole; 
and teach me, Saviour, 
teach me the value of a soul!
 Lucy Ann Bennett, 1850-1927