Does Jesus Really Care About Me?

Short answer: yes, Jesus really does care about you, specifically (1 Peter 5:7, ESV).

But if you’re wondering whether Jesus Christ really, truly cares about you, you aren’t alone. Gideon, Abraham and Sarah, Job, Jeremiah, Elijah, even Moses—they all had their doubts at one point or another. Even Jesus Himself experienced deep loneliness on the cross (Matthew 27:46).

So if you’re having your own doubts, you’re in good company. But rest assured, Jesus does care about you as an individual, and the proof is in His nature.

Not only do we see evil all around us, but sometimes it also shows up in our own lives. And you might be wondering, “But aren’t followers of Christ supposed to be safe from evil? Why are bad things happening to me even though I pray, read scripture, go to church, and have a relationship with Jesus? Isn’t He paying attention to what’s going on in my life?”

These are normal questions to ask. It’s even normal for doubt to bring along with it feelings of fear, hopelessness, despair, or depression.

Jesus knows this, and He hears you. Jesus has enough love and attention for all of us, not just as a collective group but also on an individual basis.¹ That includes you, and your identity in Christ fills you with value and worth.

Sounds a bit hard to believe, we know. But to help you understand who you are in Christ, we will discuss,

• Who Jesus really is
• How His love gives us worth
• Our identity in Him
• What to do with Jesus’ care

Let’s dive in with the cornerstone of knowing that Jesus cares for you—who He is.

The Identity of Jesus

Whether you’ve heard it over and over your entire life or are reading this for the very first time, it still rings true—Jesus is love (1 John 4:8, 16). The core of who He is, His very essence, is love.

Jesus is loving, yes—He gives His love and loves others through loving actions. But He also identifies as love—unconditional, self-sacrificial, and a living demonstration of the character of God (Hebrews 1:3).

“Love” includes so much that it can be hard to understand. And sometimes it feels so big that we might not feel worthy of it. To help us understand this big idea, we can look to an important Hebrew word for love that’s in the Bible: khesed, which we’ll discuss in the next section.

God’s love and our worth

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We live in a world where we see different types of love displayed around us all the time: love between friends, love between family, love between romantic partners, even love for animals.

Romantic love probably sticks out to us the most because it’s all over media: TV, music, books, movies. And though media often showcases what they call “love,” it always seems to fall short somehow. And sometimes it feels downright creepy (which is a good indication that it isn’t representing love at all, but instead something distorted like lust or selfishness).

But Jesus’ love for us never falls short (Lamentations 3:22-23). In fact, according to Craig Groeschel, senior pastor of Life.Church, “If you’re ever not sure of God’s love for you, it’s likely because you’re thinking of the wrong kind of love.”²

Language can be limiting sometimes. For example, we only have one word for “love” in English, but other languages have multiple words. Greek, for example, has agape, eros, and phileo, among others.³ Hebrew has ahava, rachamim and khesed.⁴
The Hebrew word khesed means goodness and kindness, and it’s used consistently in the Bible to describe God’s character. When God described Himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6, one of the things He said is that He’s abounding in khesed.⁵

Khesed means goodness and kindness, but it’s also been translated as devotion, faithfulness, loyalty, mercy, righteousness, and unchanging love.⁶ (Side note, the word is actually chesed, but translators replaced the “ch” with “kh” to help English-speakers pronounce the word correctly—with a back-of-the-throat “kh” instead of a toothy “ch” like “cheese.”⁷)

Khesed is a hard word to translate because it’s a combination of multiple ideas.⁸ But according to Tim Mackie, PhD, “Khesed described an act of promise-keeping loyalty that is motivated by deep, personal care.”⁹

We can display khesed in our own lives. Let’s say you’re making lunch for you and your partner, and they are out of the room. You look at the two sandwiches you made and you notice one looks better than the other. An act of khesed in that moment would be giving your partner the better sandwich, even if they have no idea what you’ve done for them. Khesed is more about a “posture in the relationship” rather than a specific act. Khesed is about wanting to “preserve and protect [a relationship] and allow it to flourish.”¹⁰

So khesed is about intentions as well as actions.

God the Father is the ultimate source of khesed. He cares for us because that’s just who He is, and He wants our relationship with Him to flourish (Revelation 3:20). And since Jesus, His Son, is a direct reflection of God the Father, Jesus also shares His khesed with us (John 10:30; Colossians 2:9, CSB).

In the same way we can’t change God’s love for us when we hurt, neglect, or even curse Him (Proverbs 10:12), we also can’t make Him love us more by how well we treat Him (Hebrews 13:8). His love isn’t earned; it’s unconditional. It’s based on His character and who He is, and it never ends (Psalm 136).

“But how can I ever be worthy of khesed? How can I possibly accept a love so big?” We’re glad you asked.

Identity Crisis

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Our identity in Jesus makes us worthy of His love and care. But sometimes other people in our lives, or even our own thoughts, can convince us that our identity is based on what we’ve done, and since we’re all sinners (Romans 3:23), that we don’t deserve Jesus’ love and care.

But that’s a lie: our identity is not about what we’ve done. That’s not what the Bible says about us, and it’s not what Jesus wants us to believe about ourselves.

Knowing our identity is about how we define ourselves. And the Bible tells us to identify ourselves as sons and daughters of God, heirs to His promises (Galatians 3:26, 29). The story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) is a great example of someone who went through a bit of an identity crisis.

In short, a son left his home because he wanted to be independent and away from his father’s rules. But he squandered all he had and was left penniless and alone. He returned home and asked his father to hire him as a servant, but his father reminded him who he was. He clothed him as his son, he treated him as his son, and he welcomed him home as his son, not as a hired servant (vv. 22-24). Because he wasn’t a hired servant; he was an heir to his father’s promises, and his father loved him and helped remind him who he really was.

You may be experiencing something similar as you’re trying to find yourself. And in that search, you might understandably be yearning for someone to love you for who you are. But then that begs the question, who are you? What, or who, is your identity grounded in?

With so much happening in our lives, it can be hard to remember who and whose we are, especially when we’re going through a tough time because it doesn’t feel like God cares. When we tragically lose a loved one, or get laid off from work unexpectedly, or go through a really difficult and nasty breakup, it certainly doesn’t feel like we are being cared for.

We can also remember, though, that sin exists in the same world as Jesus’ love. Bad things happening to us doesn’t mean Jesus doesn’t care, but it is a reminder that until Jesus returns, sin and Jesus’ love will exist on earth (Matthew 13:24-30). Sometimes we have to drown out the noise of sin to focus on the love of God (more on that later).

Feeling undeserving of Jesus’ care isn’t unusual, even among Christians. Even David—“a man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14)—wondered whether he was worthy of God’s attention when he asked, “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?” (2 Samuel 7:18, NKJV).

And, “What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:4, ESV).

You might ask yourself this question sometimes, too: “Who am I to deserve Jesus’ care?”

You are His child, and His care for you is specific and individual. God’s word says, “Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. But even the hairs of your head have all been counted…you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31, CSB).

Just imagine someone sitting and counting every single hair on your head and how much time that would take! God is a God who cares for and about His children, and His attention for us is infinite. He cares about even the smallest details of our lives!

We can always go to the Bible for encouragement and a reminder that, no matter what we do, Jesus will always love us. “Throughout the story of the Bible, humans continually show how faithless, selfish, and self-sabotaging they are, but the Bible makes clear how enduring God’s khesed is for us.”¹¹

Khesed—Jesus’ love and care—is not based on our actions. Craig Groeschel encourages us by saying, “He doesn’t love you because you’re worthy, but God’s love makes you worthy.”¹² Jesus doesn’t care for us because we prove ourselves to Him through our great acts of kindness. Jesus cares for us because of who He is, and being His children makes us worthy of His love.

Identifying with Him means we are complete in Him, lacking nothing. Nothing can separate us from His care (Romans 8:38-39). When we are rooted in Jesus, we choose Him. We belong to Him. And there’s no better Person to let take care of us.

So what now?

John 14:21 says, “And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (ESV).

Here’s what we can do with that beautiful promise.

Ground your identity in Jesus

Jesus’ ultimate loving action was to die on the cross for our sins so that we can personally identify with Him in the presence of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Understanding our primary identity in Christ is a huge part of recognizing that He cares for us individually.

A parent with multiple children will love and care for each one, even if that care looks different for each one. And in fact, the difference in how they care for each child is just a testament to that love because each child has different needs. Using this metaphor and understanding that we are God’s children might help us see that He cares for us like a parent to a child (e.g. clothing, feeding, protecting, disciplining, loving, etc.).

Jesus’ love and care cannot be earned. He gives them as a gift to us, and understanding our identity in Him is crucial to accepting His care (Romans 6:23).

Accept His gift

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Living as children of God also means we can accept His gifts to us. It is our acceptance of Jesus’ care that really helps us feel His care.

Think of it this way: our beliefs shape our perspective: what we see and don’t see. So feeling Jesus’ care is partially about the choice to believe He cares about you (Mark 4:37-40).

Our mindset makes an important difference in what we experience. According to Howard J. Rankin, Ph.D., “a hopeful, resilient mindset could promote positive changes at the cellular level and boost healing.” There are even examples of patients who’ve changed their fatal prognosis using their mindset.¹³

Understanding the connection between belief and experience is important, and this connection matters in your spiritual life.

One pastor illustrates this idea well when he says that if we choose joy, “you’re rejecting doom and gloom. If you choose peace, you’re rejecting paranoia…when you choose hope, you’re choosing to reject this nihilistic [idea] that ‘This is the end of the world forever as I know it.’”¹⁴ And choosing to believe that Jesus cares for you individually means that you’re rejecting the idea that you aren’t worthy enough, or important enough, for His care (Romans 15:13).

When we believe that Jesus cares for us, we can rejoice and say, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15, CSB).

When we believe He cares, we’ll see evidence of that very thing all around us.

Look for ways that He shows His care for you

Once your thoughts are set on looking for Jesus’s care for you, you’ll start to see it in others, in yourself, and all around you in the simple day-to-day of life.

You’ll notice how

• a colleague is working on their communication
• a friend forgives you with no questions asked
• a family member has started to see a faith-based mental health professional
• your thinking has become more positive (2 Corinthians 10:5)
• you’re slower to anger than usual (Proverbs 14:29; Psalm 145:8)
• peace seems to follow you, even in difficult situations (John 14:27, Isaiah 54:10)
• you’ll see more beauty in nature (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20)

or any other number of ways Jesus cares for you, those around you, and even things in nature.

You feel closer to Jesus because you’re looking for Him intentionally. All of your problems won’t suddenly vanish, but your point of view will focus more on Jesus. And the closer you get to Him, the more He’ll work in your life to make you look more like Him.

Expect to be pruned

This one is interesting because while you’ll start to see wonderful examples of Jesus’ care and you’ll start to feel His love more and more, you’ll also recognize that some things that are painful are part of His care as well.

If, for example, you’re in a relationship that is hurting you or is drawing you further and further away from Him, that’s an indication that the relationship needs to be broken. And that process might really be painful, but in hindsight it’s for the best.

In fact, when we’re free from hurtful relationships—or anything else that is a barrier between us and Jesus—it gives us more space to receive even more of His goodness in our lives. So part of Jesus’ care for us is that He prunes us like a plant; He cuts away the dead leaves and branches in our lives because we can’t flourish with that dead weight hanging on us (John 15:2).

Pruning a plant takes great time and care. It’s an attentive, meticulous task because you don’t want to accidentally prune a healthy part of a plant. Being pruned by Jesus, though it can be painful, is a precious process because He not only cares for you, He knows you very deeply (Psalm 139:1-4).

And when we’re free of dead weight, we are in a much better place to not only receive His care, but also to express His care to others.

Demonstrate to others that He cares for you (and them)

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Simple acts of kindness (to yourself and others) can have a lasting effect, and we need look no further than Jesus’ own life to get some ideas. To reflect Jesus’ actions, you could

• include intentional prayer in your self-care routine (Mark 6:46)
• take someone to lunch who you’ve noticed is left out (Matthew 9:10; Luke 19:1-10)
• forgive someone who hasn’t even apologized yet (Luke 23:34)
• pray for and help out a friend who is sick (Matthew 8¹⁵)
• speak up for someone who can’t speak up for themselves (John 8:3-11)
• serve someone who doesn’t usually get served (John 13:3:6)

There are a lot of simple ways we can reflect that Jesus cares for us and, by extension, for them, too.

One scientific 2016 study “found that giving had greater benefits than receiving. Participants in the study who gave help showed reduced stress and increased feelings of reward in their brain imaging. This research points to the conclusion that when you help others, you’re also helping yourself.”¹⁶ Psychology backs up what the Bible teaches…that caring for others can also help us feel cared for (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

And we don’t have to wait until we feel better to help someone else because helping others will affect how we feel as well. When we experience Jesus’ care while we hurt, it has an interesting effect: it means we can probably recognize other people when they’re in pain, too. We know what it can look like and feel like because we’ve lived it—and maybe are still living it—so it might be easier for us to recognize. And in those moments of recognition, a small, loving gesture can go a long way, for them and for us.

Each of us is a priority to God (1 John 2:1; Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34), which means God cares for you! His love is “a loyal commitment to be generous to [us] for the long run.”¹⁷ His care is enduring and unwavering because His love—who He literally is—is enduring and unwavering (Psalm 136). He takes great pleasure in caring for you (Zephaniah 3:17), and we can find delight in that care (Psalm 37:4).

To learn more about Jesus and His love,

1. Nixon, Paul and Clarise Nixon. “God’s Omnipotence,” God Is A Person: Discovering God for Yourself, pg. 31. [↵]
2. Groeschel, Craig. “Does God Love Me?” Life.Church, 2022. [↵]
3. “Sabbath: Covenental Love,” Sabbath School Net, 2025. [↵]
4. Wieja, Estera, “Hebrew Word for Love: 4 Biblical & Modern Words to Know,” Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries, 2023. [↵]
5. BibleProject Team. “A Close Look at the Meaning of God’s Love,” BibleProject, 2021. [↵]
6. “2617a, chesed,” NAS Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries, BibleHub. [↵]
7. BibleProject Team. “A Close Look at the Meaning of God’s Love,” BibleProject, 2021. [↵]
8. “Hesed,” Englishman’s Concordance, Biblehub. [↵]
9. Mackie, Tim. “God Loves You, But What Does That Mean? (According to the Bible),” BibleProject, 2021. [↵]
10. BibleProject Team. “A Close Look at the Meaning of God’s Love,” BibleProject, 2021.[↵]
11. BibleProject Team. “A Close Look at the Meaning of God’s Love,” BibleProject, 2021. [↵]
12. Groeschel, Craig. “Does God Love Me?” Life.Church, 2022. [↵]
13. Rankin, Howard J. “The Role of Mindset in Healing,” Psychology Today, 2024. [↵]
14. Tome, Brian. “Does Jesus Care About Me?” Crossroads Church, April 4, 2020. [↵]
15. There are lots of examples of Jesus healing others in this chapter. Your help and presence with someone who is sick can be healing! [↵]
16. Greenstein, Luna. “How Helping Others Can Help You,” National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2016. [↵]
17. BibleProject Team. “A Close Look at the Meaning of God’s Love,” BibleProject, 2021. [↵]

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