Tell Him all your troubles

 

Here's the thing about this Scripture.  Most of the time, Christians only quote verse 7.  "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

But we're missing out on how we can get to that point!  We won't cast our worries on God unless we humble ourselves before Him first.

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

We don't give anything to someone that we don't trust, let alone our confidences.  We confide in those whom we trust.

Is it possible to cast our cares on Jesus without humbling ourselves first?  I think the previous verse is important to this process, or else it woudn't be there.

We come to the Lord because we believe He is Lord.  This takes a humble stance because we are admitting that we are not able to fully get rid of or take care of our anxieties on our own.  Oh there are quick "fixes," yes.  But none are everlasting.  That drink may calm your nerves, but when it wears off, your anxiety will resurface.

We are not built to have anyone or anything else handle our cares, worries, fears, and anxieties other than God.  We are made for Him, remember?

We all of us have had more than our share of anxieties, fears, and so on, these past two years, what with this pandemic always in the background of our subconsious.  Christian or not, the anxieties are real.

So if we don't know what to do with them, where to go, to whom to turn, we are left with them stuck inside of us.

We need a Savior.  We need the Almighty God to not only soothe us, but to infuse us with His hope, love, joy, and peace in this worldwide predicament that we are in.

When we hunble ourselves, we can stand.  That is the beautiful paradox of the Christian faith.  When we humble ourselves before God, He exalts us - this is His promise to us!  I don't mean some highfalutin exaltation.  I mean He raises us up on the inside, strengthening us there so that our troubles no longer overwhelm us or have power over us because we have left them with Him, in His hands.

We trust Him to raise us up in our thoughts and feelings because He cares for us.  Jesus does not want us to worry!  He is more aware of the ills of the world than anyone.  And He is never a proponent of denial.

He tells us not to worry because when we belong to Him, there is no need to worry!  He overcomes the world!  He is in absolute authority over everything that happens in the world.  Yes, it is a hot mess!  But He still rules!  

We live in a fallen world but one day, Christ will rule over it and all will be well - not only within us, but everywhere we look.  

Until then!  We don't bury our head in the sand.  We don't medicate with drugs or alcohol.  

We do what we are called to do:  trust in God.  We hunble ourselves before Him, acknowledging His Lordship, and in so doing, we cast our cares on Him and let Him care for us!  SO much bigger and better than self-care!

Lord God, we behold You and see how awesome and majestic You are, and how our worries, doubts, and fears pale and fade in comparison to Your greatness.  Thank You that we can humbly come before You with all of our troubles and that in return, You grant us Your wonderful peace that passes all understanding.  The solution is not in our knowing the future but in knowing You.  Thank You and praise You, Lord Jesus, for caring so personally and intimately for us.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.