Though it sounds so simple, when we are facing difficult, frightful, or uncertain times, whether it be a frightening medical diagnosis, loss of loved one, loss of a job, difficulty with children, or any personal struggle, remember the words of 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your cares on him, for he cares for you.”

We all have a tendency to think that like taking responsibility for our actions we have to carry the emotional burden of life’s challenges. However, God wants us to give him that burden.

Though things don’t always work out how we would like them. When we hand over the concern to God, who loves and cares for us, we can have peace knowing that he is in control.

Remember also Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”

Dear Lord, Help us trust you and hand over our fears and concerns to you, believing and trusting in you is what you call us to do. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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It is very common in our human nature to dwell on our problems, we can describe in great detail how big the problem is, how long it has been going on, how it runs in our family, etc…..

One interesting thing about successful people is that they spend much more time, energy, and thought avoiding, ignoring, and overcoming their problems than thinking about the problem.

As Christians also, we need to spend more time and energy remembering how big and strong our God is rather than the size of our problems.

Deuteronomy 1:28-31 tells part of the story of the Israelites coming to the Promised Land, “What are we getting into? Our brothers who spied out the land have frightened us with their report. They say that the people of the land are tall and powerful, and that the walls of their cities rise high into the sky! They have even seen giants there—the descendants of the Anakim!’ The Lord God is your leader, and he will fight for you with his mighty miracles, just as you saw him do in Egypt. And you know how he has cared for you again and again here in the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child!’ But nothing I said did any good.“They refused to believe the Lord our God”

They put more faith in their obstacles than in God’s ability to support them where He was leading them.

We need to remember that the will of God will never lead us where the love of God will not support us.

Dear Lord, you are bigger than any obstacle we can ever face. Help us remember to believe that and put our focus on your power to support us rather than the obstacles we face. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Often times, we wait until we have tried everything else to deal with a problem or difficult situation before we pray about it. Unfortunately, it is the last resort for many people even after they have given up hope of a successful outcome.

God wants us to interact with him all the time, like he is a part of our lives every moment. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Never stop praying.” When we have that mindset, we start our problem solving with prayer; Asking God, who has the power to make anything right, and solve any problem we might have, first.

James 5:16 writes, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

Prayer is not a long shot, “it can’t hurt,” last resort. It is a powerful demonstration of our faith in and relationship with God. We need to believe that it will produce results, and it will.

Dear Lord, thank you for giving us the ability to come to you with our cares and concerns. Help us to keep you in our thoughts throughout our day and bring our needs to you, believing that you will give us what we ask or something better. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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…and God Controls the Future

We all have fear at times. It can be created by a number of things, but fear always boils down to concern and uncertainty about something in the future.

If our thoughts are controlled to focus only on the present, the people and blessings around us, though we may have be experiencing pain or suffering, we don’t feel fear. Somewhat like being up high on a ladder, if we don’t look down, we are just standing there on a step.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:34, Living Bible Translation “So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.”

Philippians 4:6-7 tells us also, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

We can do this by putting our trust in God. Proverbs 3:5 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding” In other words, God can find a way even when we don’t see a way.

And as God told Joshua as he was leading the Israelites into the “Promised Land,” but a land reported to have Giants. In Joshua 1:9, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

So when we fear, remember this process:

1. Focus on the present, share it with those we love.
2. Let God take care of the future.
3. Trust Him.
4. Be strong and courageous, because He is with you.

Dear Lord, We have fear. Though we may know in our minds that you have power over all things, we worry you may not use your power to resolve our fear. Help us trust you, and feel Your love and comfort, and have the peace of knowing You control the future. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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In the Lutheran catechism’s description of “lead us not into temptation” from the Lord’s Prayer, Luther describes how we are fighting spiritually against three forces, the Devil, the World, and our Sinful Nature.

There is a conflict in each Christians life. His or her human nature is in conflict with God’s will. Paul writes in Romans 8:7, “For the sinful nature is hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws and it never will.” This effect is so obvious to each of us in our own ways. Each of us have wrong desires that we must fight.

Paul continues in verse 9 however, “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.”

When we become Christian, the Holy Spirit comes and lives in us, which is what makes us want to do God’s will, even though Jesus tells us in Matthew 26:41, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

But Jesus is strong when we are weak, and he wants us to rely on him to help us overcome our sinful nature and do the right thing. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul says, “But he [Christ] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Dear Lord, as we pray in the Lord’s prayer, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Strengthen us to choose to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance rather that our sinful nature. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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