Our Father Cares

Foreword

This is the sixteenth “morning-watch”-type book compiled from the writings of Ellen G. White. The first in this long series, Radiant Religion, was published in 1946 for use the following year. It was followed three years later by With God at Dawn. The materials for these two early devotional works were drawn entirely from Ellen G. White books already in print. OFC 9.1

Beginning with My Life Today, published in 1952, recourse has been made consistently to the wealth of previously unpublished materials in the Ellen G. White manuscript and letter file. Titles published, with the year of publication, are as follows: OFC 9.2

Radiant Religion, 1946
With God at Dawn, 1949
My Life Today, 1952
Sons and Daughters of God, 1955
The Faith I Live By, 1958
Our High Calling, 1961
That I May Know Him, 1964
In Heavenly Places, 1967
Conflict and Courage, 1970
God's Amazing Grace, 1973
Maranatha, 1976
This Day with God, 1979
The Upward Look, 1982
Reflecting Christ, 1985
Lift Him Up, 1988

The records of the Review and Herald Publishing Company Association reveal a steadily increasing sale of these books over the years. In the 1950s My Life Today sold 24,000 copies, while Sons and Daughters of God had a sale of 33,000. In the 1960s both That I May Know Him and In Heavenly Places had sales exceeding 63,000 copies. These figures have escalated to sales of more than 90,000 for several of the more recent devotional books. Many of these books have also enjoyed a large sale in Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean, and other non-English Languages. OFC 9.3

A sampling of opinion among church members reveals that the rich materials published in the earlier devotionals are largely unknown to many Adventists today. This present book has been published to remedy this situation. It consists of selections from 12 of the books named above—one book a month for the 12 months of 2014. The source book for each chapter can be located by referring to the title of each chapter. OFC 9.4

Ellen White states that “Christ's favorite theme was the paternal character and abundant love of God” (Testimonies for the Church 6:55). This also seems to be Ellen White's favorite theme. For that reason the compilers have chosen the title Our Father Cares. The title has a double significance. Not only have readings been selected on the topic of God's great love and care for us, but they also reflect the fact that God cares so much for us that He is interested in every aspect of our daily lives. He cares about our health, our homes, our study of His Word, our victory over sin, our preparation for His second coming. He also longs for us to be with Him in His kingdom, which is soon to be established on earth. How much He cares! OFC 10.1

We invite you to read each day's devotional with both aspects of God's concern in mind, trusting that as you meditate on each passage you will come to appreciate more than ever how much God loves and cares for you. OFC 10.2

—The Trustees of the Ellen G. White Estate

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7