I am a worrier, and I have what I refer to as “my bubble.” In my bubble, everything is under control. In my bubble, floors are clean and stainless appliances are free of fingerprints. In my bubble, all projects are completed way before a deadline. In my bubble, drama does not exist. My bubble is a worry-free zone.
However, I cannot stay in my bubble because life is happening in the real world. And… in the real world… outside my bubble, people leave fingerprints on the stainless refrigerator right after I polish it. Outside my bubble, my kids wait until 11:50 p.m. to complete a seven-page paper that is due at midnight. Outside my bubble, my son is old enough to get behind the wheel of a car, and I can no longer protect him every minute. Outside my bubble, anything could go wrong. Outside my bubble, the devil whispers all of those “what ifs” and creates chaos. So, of course, I pray. I ask God to take the worries because 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your care upon him; for He careth for you” (KJV). So, what’s the problem?
I shared in an earlier post that my husband and I are in the midst of building a house. Well, I should clarify that my husband is building a house, and I attempt to help. When my husband constructed the exterior walls, he built them in sixteen-foot sections. Then, we would stand the sections up one-by-one, and he would nail them in place. Now would be a good time to note that I am horrified of heights, and the back side of the house is extremely high. Before the walls were in place, I could not get within five feet of the edge. I would feel my equilibrium shift, and my heart would begin to race. So, along the back of the house, every wall that we put in place brought worry. If I did not maintain control of that wall and pushed it too far, it could fall over the edge. If the wall went over the edge, I could forget to let go which would take me over the edge. One worry always seems to lead to another. Of course, my husband was holding the wall too, so my worries were not rational but rather a result of my fear. Every wall that we lifted, I would push the section seven-eighths of the way up, and my husband would have to lift the wall and me the rest of the way until the wall was straight up and down. I thought that if I kept the wall slightly shifted back toward me that I could keep it under control, and it would not go crashing over the side.
Sometimes, I find that I use this same concept with worries that I take to God in prayer. I pray and ask God to carry a burden, but I do not completely let go. Just like I kept the wall slightly tilted back, I take the problem to God, but then I keep trying to fix it myself which usually leads to disaster and the creation of something new to worry about.
So, when worry hits, remember God is in control.
- “And we know that all things God work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 KJV).
- “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” (Matthew 6:27 KJV).
As I read 1 Peter 5:7, one specific word stands out. The verse uses the word “cast” to instruct us what to do with worries. In other words, we are to throw our worries on Him, and throwing requires letting go. The verse does not say hand your anxiety to God and hold on to the other end so He can drag you along.
Well, I think most everyone has worried about things fully knowing that we are supposed to turn those concerns over to God. This was the hardest thing for me to do. I would ask God to help or take care of something I needed from Him. Then I would go right back to worrying about it myself. That’s not turning it over to Him if we continue to hold on. In my more mature years, I have come to realize that I have to let Him have it completely for Him to take care of it. I’ve found that when I’m scared or concerned He never lets me down. After all He did walk on water for Peter and He will do the same for us if we get out of the way and let Him.
This is so beautiful “casting your worry to God”. I know it and I have head knowledge of it. BUT …. how do I actually do it ….. give it all to HIM and really, really let go? I guess its a human-thing. Is it possible to completely surrender? Or is it a daily, moment-by-moment thing? I heard once in a Sunday school class (and maybe they borrowed it from someone else) – “the only problem with a living sacrifice is that it can crawl off the alter”. AND I liked that. It was a wow moment when I heard it. And immediately as that picture filled my head, I had to chuckle. Because it gave me comfort in a strange sense – because that was/is a word picture of “me”. And I realize we have to lay it down…. each day, often times moment-by-moment on the alter to HIM. The ONE who made us, The ONE who saves us, The ONE who has it all in HIS Hands anyway. And another one I heard before: picture your self with your hands lifted up, turned up to the sky and tightly gripped……. squeeze them tight as you can. THEN – slowly open them, completely open all your fingers with palms exposed AND see this as your offering to GOD as you release whatever it is you are attempting to hold too tightly too. AND this will have to be repeated ‘daily’ …. and more than not….. several times in the same day. AND slowly, over time – you have surrendered it even without you fully knowing it. And finally the ache in my stomach went away. Thank you so much Farrah! Your gift for the Word and these devotions.