Frank E. Graeff's lyrics to the 1901 hymn, Does Jesus Care?, are pretty straightforward. In fact, there's no need to prosify the chorus at all. But consider how relatable his questions are.
Does Jesus care when my heart hurts so much that I can't even think about happiness and music? I feel so weighed down, and my worries stress me out to no end.
Does Jesus care when I can't tell which way to go, and I'm full of fear and a dread I can't even identify? I feel like I'm walking alone into a dark place. Does he care enough to walk with me?
Does Jesus care when I give in to temptation, or when, even though I cry all night, there's no relief from my grief?
Does Jesus care when the person on earth I love the most dies, and my heart aches till it breaks? Does it mean anything to him at all? Does he even see how much I'm hurting?
Think of the thousands and thousands of churches in North America and Europe and compare that to the millions and millions of people living in Southeast Asia.
No wonder Jesus urged us to "pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers" in Matthew 9:38.
No wonder Jesus commanded us to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" in Matthew 28:19.
No wonder Keith Green challenged us to get off our duffs and make a difference in his song, "Jesus Commands Us to Go."
Truth is...It wouldn't be practical for every Christian in the U.S. to drop what they're doing and move to China, but:
1. If we're not going, we should be sending. 2. A person doesn't have to go to China to share the love of Jesus with those living on the same street or working in the same office.
Do I really mean what I'm saying when I'm singing?
In the book Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas explains nine different "personality profiles" related to connecting with God. Much like the popular Enneagram or Myers-Briggs personality assessment tools, he leads the reader to a deeper understanding of their own preferred path to knowing God and the different ways different people relate to God.
In the chapter on what Thomas calls "Sensates" (those who love God through the senses and experiences), he warns that people can get caught up in what their senses are experiencing without any true worship taking place:
It amazes me how casually I can sing songs of deep, almost heroic commitment....While my mind wanders, I promise to bow before the Lord, to proclaim his name to the ends of the earth, and to go so far as to die to express my faith. Yet these words may be sung with scarcely more emotion than I feel when I'm ordering a hamburger. How often do we Christians take the Lord's name in vain during worship?
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Truth is...Many a hymn or praise chorus should be considered not so much a declaration of truth as a prayer of good intention. "I believe. Help my unbelief!"
