“Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you” 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT).

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all he has done” (Phil. 4:6).

Are you carrying cares that weigh you down? Did you know it is possible to delegate those cares to Someone else, Someone who can actually take action that will bring about change?

Delegating those cares is not easy, though. Not only is it counter-intuitive, it feels somehow irresponsible, particularly if those cares truly belong to you – your finances, your children, your marriage, your health…

True, there are things we can and should do with regard to those cares; we need to do our part, our responsibility. But as far as the anxiety goes, the pain and stress related to those responsibilities, that part God desires to carry for us.

How do we do this, you might be asking? How do we give our cares to God? Like everything God asks us to do, it is by faith in Him. By faith, in prayer we lift up those specific burdens to Him and release to Him all the anxiety we have attached to those cares. In many instances there is virtually nothing we can humanly do to fix what is broken. But in every issue, we give Him all worry attached to each issue in our lives.

After we pray this prayer of faith, we walk away as though it is done, because as far as God is concerned, it is. He is working on it, so we don’t have to clench our teeth, lose sleep, pace the floor, and run the risk of heart issues. We can lie down and rest in peace knowing our troubles are in His hands – big hands, strong hands, loving hands.

Is your heart troubled today by real or imagined fears? Pray this plain and simple prayer with us…

Father,

You know the trouble I am facing and the anxiety I feel about this issue. I believe You care deeply for me. You say so in Your Word, and I am basing my life on the fact that Your Word is divine Truth.

I am throwing all this anxiety in Your direction. Take every bit of it. Take the fear I have become so accustomed to living with. Take it now. Take the worries, each one of them, for the list is long and involved.

Take upon Yourself the havoc this anxiety is wreaking on my body, the heart palpitations, the struggle with sleep, the toxicity that leaks out sideways in my relationships. This stress has affected every inch of my person. Lord, this could ultimately kill me.

All the pain and sin and suffering in the world killed you so that it doesn’t have to kill me. Thank You for taking this very issue upon Yourself 2,000 years ago, Jesus. I give You thanks and praise that You have made a way for me to walk in peace even in the storm. Take my troubles, Lord. I delegate each one to Your grace.

Take me, Lord. Hold my hand strongly today. And help me to hold my head high in confidence as I walk in the assurance that You have my back.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!

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