Today I’d like to look at No. 83. “He’ll Take Care of Me” by looking at the meaning and application of the song, because it’s too easy to sing without paying attention to the words and their meaning.

83. HE’LL TAKE CARE OF ME

VERSE 1
I don’t know the answers to the questions of the day,
I don’t know the reasons why when trouble comes my way;
But I know God in heaven knows, on Him I can rely,
For ev’ry time I question Him He gives the same reply.

VERSE 2
A world of ever changing scenes, of wars that never cease,
Men that lead an endless search while never finding peace;
But I know God in heaven knows, just knowing this I’m blest,
And when I think that God loves me my troubled mind finds rest.

VERSE 3
Prophecies we read about unfolding very fast,
Things we held and thought were ours don’t very often last;
But I know God in heaven knows, when I ask what’s in store,
He gives that same reply again, I hear it o’er and o’er.

VERSE 4
News abroad of governments continual rise and fall,
Days of great pollutions hanging over one and all;
But I know God in heaven has my future in control,
And when He says I’m not to fear, what comfort to my soul.

CHORUS
That He’ll take care of me, 
so I am satisfied, 
He said He’ll take care of me, 
so I am satisfied.
I am satisfied, 
He’ll take care of me. 
He said He’ll take care of me, 
so I am satisfied.

©1984 Arlene Lea Buffington

Often, I comment on each verse of a song, but today I’d like to focus on a concept this song generates, because many times in our lives, we experience great challenges and hardships, emotional pain and suffering, physical sickness or tragic loss that tests our faith and sometimes even brings us to question God. Ultimately we may end up being satisfied, knowing that He’ll take care of us, but we still ask why, because our mind and heart seek answers. 

My family, like yours, has experienced this: My wife and I lost our newborn baby after months of personal prayer, anointings, and requests for the church to petition the Lord to work a miracle… but the end result was the death of our baby girl. We struggled to understand and mourned her loss. 

About 30 years later, our newborn grandson was born with a viral infection that stumped the doctors and threatened his life. Again, we sought the Lord in prayer, anointed our grandson, and asked our church family to pray for a miracle… and within days he improved and was soon home, to the doctor’s amazement, and today he is a growing, healthy, thriving young boy.

So why did these situations happen? Why did God permit this? Could we have done something to prevent it? Did we do something wrong? … These are just a few of the many questions that come to our minds as we experience these things in life. 

First, let’s recognize that questions are natural, and it’s normal behavior, even for those who love and serve the Lord. We’re not exempt from these questions, BUT we can choose to focus on them and let them consume us, or we can look to the Lord for peace and understanding.

Second, we can never forget, “… all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually” (Moroni 7:12).

Finally, let’s remember that we live in a fallen world, and the scriptures teach us that the world itself is not in a perfect state. Starting with Adam and Eve: “…cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:17-19).

The devil, the enemy of our soul, through deception, seduced Adam and Eve. This opened the door to the evils in the world, namely: adultery, fornication, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, envyings, murders, drunkenness, etc. (See Galatians 5:19-21.) The Lord also calls out pride, lying, violence against and killing the innocent, plotting, scheming and acting on evil, bearing false witness, gossip and creating division and conflict (see Proverbs 6:16-19) to name just a few of the evils that often lead to experiencing great challenges and hardships, emotional pain and suffering, physical sickness or tragic loss in our lives. 

The question shouldn’t be: Why? 

The question we should be asking, as servants of Jesus Christ is: How? 

How do I respond to these challenges of life and the evil that exists around us? 

I believe the answer is easy, but the application can be a bit more challenging. Here are a few steps to consider:

1. Look forward, not backward.
2. Trust that today, the Lord will give you what you need.
3. Don’t look around at all the evil, all the obstacles, etc.; keep your eyes on Jesus.
4. Be confident that He has you in the palm of His hand, because He loves you.
5. Spend time in prayer, read the Word, fast, reach out to those who have strong faith.

I hope this helps you.

May God bless you.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Songs of Zion, listening to the Songs or downloading them, here’s a link, in this blog, to the church website: Church Songs and Music