Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you. [1 Peter 5:7 (GNT)]
Relieve me of my worries and save me from all my troubles. [Psalm 25:17 (GNT)]
My doorbell rang and, by the time I got to the door the FedEx man was walking away, having left a large box on the porch. As he backed out of the driveway, I shouted a thanks and brought in my latest order from Amazon.
Let’s pretend that we’re FedEx drivers and we arrive at the designated recipient’s house. After ringing the bell, the man of the house answers and we show him the package. Unlike my delivery man, however, we don’t leave it with him. Instead, we get out the packing slip and tell him the contents of the box. Then we open up the carton and show him everything in it. Finally, we tape it up again, lug it back to the truck and stow it there for another day. I’m not sure why we won’t leave the carton but perhaps we’re afraid the man of the house won’t take good care of the precious shipment. The next day, however, with even more packages loaded in the truck, we do the same thing, bringing the boxes to his door and then returning to the truck with the same load. Eventually, we need a hand cart to carry all those cartons to the door, the truck gets overloaded, and we want to quit. How easy our job would be if we’d trust the recipient enough to leave the packages at his door where they belong!
Just as the FedEx man always leaves my packages, we’re supposed to entrust our cares and concerns to God the first time we come to His door. It does no good to carry our worries and fear to the Lord’s doorstep if we won’t leave them there. It’s futile to unpack our sorrow and anxiety for God if we just repackage them and keep carting them around. We need to trust that once we’ve given our concerns to God, He’ll tend to them. Moreover, instead of a friendly wave or thanks, God will give us His peace when our worries are left at His door.
Heavenly Father, how often we give you our troubles only to take them back again. Reassure us of your strength to handle any and all of them so we willingly leave our problems with you. May we always remember your incredible love for us so that we know our cares are safe in your hands.
Worry is the antithesis of trust. You simply cannot do both. They are mutually exclusive. [Elisabeth Elliot]
Worry implies that we don’t quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what’s happening in our lives. [Francis Chan]
Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:6-7 (GNT)]
Copyright ©2016 jsjdevotions. All rights reserved.
The elderly Abraham and Sarah laughed at the thought of the two of them making a child and the old Jewish priest Zechariah doubted his barren wife could conceive. Yet, a thirteen-year old virgin believed that she would miraculously bear a son and a pagan Roman officer believed Jesus could heal his servant with just a word.
From today’s verse, you might think I’m going to say that God will never give us more than we can bear. That Christianese sentiment, however, comes from 1 Corinthians 10 and is about temptation, not difficulties and afflictions. The belief that God will never give us any burden or challenge we can’t bear puts the emphasis on us and our strength rather than where it should be—on God and His power! In 2 Corinthians, Paul wrote of being so burdened beyond his strength that he despaired of even living. Clearly, there will be times in our lives when we will be given far more than we can possibly bear by ourselves.
Yesterday, I wrote about unfounded fears. Although I’m a bit of a nervous flyer, I’d rather travel than stay home, so I pray and fly. While I’m a little nervous about heights, I’d rather ride than hike up the mountain, so I pray and ride the lifts. Since my little Ziggy-like guy can easily capture my irrational fears, they rarely plague me. It’s not fear of external things like plane crashes or gondola accidents, however, that disturb me. Instead, it’s the fear that happens when I focus on me instead of God. Will I be wounded, bothered, abandoned or tested? What if I don’t succeed, reach my goal, or make a good impression? Will I be welcome? What if I make a mistake?
Devotions of the Heart 