Our God is a very kind God, and He is also very thoughtful. He thinks of us and plans for our good (see Jeremiah 29:11), and will continue to do us good just because He is good (see Mark 10:18).
The Bible presents us with several people to whom God showed His very thoughtful kindness. Here are some of them.
1. The widow of Zarephath
In 1 Kings 17:7-16, we read that God instructed the prophet Elijah to run to a village named Zarephath because He has "instructed a widow there to feed" Elijah (verse 9).
If we were in that situation, we would probably expect that the widow is some rich or pensioned woman who has a lot of savings or perhaps even a business from where she would get her money for her expenses. Elijah probably thought about that, but what he found was a woman who had nothing but enough for a last meal "and then my son and I will die" (verse 12).
It's a really sad situation for her and her son. However, God wouldn't allow her to be unprovided for – God wanted to provide for both Elijah, the widow and her son. Think about that.
Maybe the widow thought God was wringing her dry of what she had left, but she was wrong. God wanted to provide for her and her son (who later died but was brought back to life by God after a while, in verses 17-24).
2. Rahab the prostitute
Rahab the prostitute, despite having that title given to her for eternity, shows just how good and kind our God is. According to Joshua 2, she was a prostitute who sheltered two of Israel's spies when the latter went to see Jericho, a territory that Israel had to enter to begin occupying the promised land. Rahab recognised God's hand upon the nation of Israel, and decided to protect the spies.
In Joshua 6, we see God sparing her life from the destruction that He wreaked upon Jericho. Later on we find that Rahab became part of the royal lineage of our Lord Jesus Christ, becoming the wife of Salmon and the mother of Boaz, the husband of Ruth and the grandfather of King David (see Matthew 1:5-6).
The life of Rahab shows that when God gives us grace and mercy, the one who receives and accepts it joyfully changes and is enabled to make their mark in history to the glory of God.
3. The woman bleeding for 12 years
In Mark 5:24-34, we find a very touching account of how God's love is able to heal anybody. In the passage, we find Jesus locked in a crowd while making His way to a local synagogue leader's house to heal his daughter. While making His way, a woman who had been suffering from bleeding for 12 years tried to squeeze in, thinking "If I can just touch [Jesus'] robe, I will be healed" (verse 28). She succeeded in touching Jesus' robe, and was instantly healed.
You might say that Jesus didn't intentionally heal her, but read it again: You find Jesus saying "Who touched my robe?" after realising that power went out from Him (see verse 30). It was the power of God that's overflowing in the Lord Jesus that healed her. It's not by chance.
Think about it. The crowd might be too tight, and the minister focusing on something else, but the power of God is available for everyone to be healed. God healed that woman even when she wasn't the one Jesus was travelling for!
