|
Listen to this devotional: |
Listen while you read: "Children Of Jerusalem"1 (Lyrics) |
I have become accustomed to a ritual in my life, which has become a must in order for my mind to function: drinking my daily coffee. My doctor is not very fond of this practice; it has just become habit. The rush that I receive from my favourite brand of java sends me through my day with hyper-energy. However, I also deal with anxiety issues, and this can make them worse, so I really have to watch it. When I am coming unglued at every unpredicted sound, and my speech starts running a mile a minute, and my nerves are swarming up my back, then I know I've had my coffee limit for the day!
But after careful observation, I've noticed that some Christians, when they are anxious, act the way I do after drinking a gallon of coffee by myself: freaked out, frazzled, and buzzing on busy behaviour! When we try to handle everything in our lives by ourselves, the burden on our shoulders can drive us mad, sending us into a raging, bug-eyed fit! We lose sleep over bills getting paid; we fret over our children growing up to be healthy adults; we worry over a marital concern; we agonize over our friendships, and so on. We then step in with our plan to handle and fix each and every hardship experienced. This is the fun part, because if you really want to be freaked out, frazzled, and buzzing on busy behaviour, try playing God in your life. The Bible tells us Christians:
1 Peter 5:7 – Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (NIV)
However, I have a tendency to think that "all" only means "some", and the rest must be up to me. But God said to throw every care into His loving embrace, no matter how minute it may seem. But why should you and I trust God with our concerns? The answer is so very simple: He really does care about us and desires only our wellbeing and success in life. The problem is our unwillingness to trust Him.
Trust is a hard issue because it involves being vulnerable to others and giving a portion of our lives to them. Some readers, like me, have probably been burned badly in the past and are not as quick to hand over a piece of our soul easily; however, God is not like man, and we can trust Him with our life. John 3:16 tells us how our loving God sent His only Son, named Jesus, to die for our sins. Could you trust a God like that? I know I could. However, some habits die hard, like my coffee consumption (I'm grinning ear to ear!)
The question directed at us is this: how long do we want to run ourselves ragged with worry and anxiety? Do we enjoy being half nuts and buzzing with our attempts to handle everything in our lives, or would we rather let the God of the universe handle them for us? I do not know about you, but I am tired of being freaked out, frazzled, and buzzing on busy behaviour in a vain attempt to solve my problems. How much better to simply trust Him! Let us take some time today and practice letting go of every concern, even the very difficult ones. Start small, and gradually work up. God is patient and knows how easily we try to snatch those concerns back and run wild with them. Give yourself a break today, and while you're at it, you might try decaf for a change. Grin!
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, help us to rely on You daily for strength and peace. Help our lives be a representation of Your love and wisdom as we walk out our Christian journey. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Forward this devotional Share this devotional on Facebook Like PresbyCan on Facebook
Although PresbyCan doesn't have a mobile app, you can still have a PresbyCan icon on your mobile phone home screen. 
Thursday, January 16, 2025 – In the Middle East — Right now, the highlight of my week is my informal language lessons with my friend. I really enjoy discussing different topics with her and asking cultural questions. A few weeks ago, I told her the story of Jesus's death and resurrection. Pray that God continues to speak to her, and that she would come to faith in Christ.
Grandson Being Bullied: "Grandson S is being bullied at school by a couple of boys who influence other boys to side with..." 
How I can identify with you Rob.
Thank you Rob for sharing your thought and insights with us today. Very well put.
Enjoyed your devotional today…great food for thought!
(Tx)
Thank you. I needed to be reminded of who is always there-even when we try to be in charge.
Hi Rob,
Great devotional! Thanks for the reminder to cast all of our cares.
Keep writing.
Good morning Rob,
I so enjoyed reading your Devotional today. Thank you and God Bless you for a very important “reminder”.
How did you know? You described me to a T. I agree with the cure. We have to turn to prayer to make it work. God’s hand is always at work, and it is like a bolt of lightning to recognize it. Thanks.
(BC)
Dear Rob;
Thank you your devotional today. I enjoyed reading it and also chuckling out loud. I know exactly where you are coming from; I too, enjoy my Tim Horton coffee daily. And yes, trust is the big issue… I am trying.
Dear Rob:
Amen!, and again I say Amen!. There is no greater trust anywhere than in our Lord. Thank you for sharing while I drink my coffee.
God bless you.
Thanks Rob for your devotion this morning. It’s a perfect one for me to read and very timely as well. God does do wondrous things! HIS timing is always perfect. Thanks again for this great reminder and may God continue to bless you as you write these inspirational messages that we all need.
Nice to hear from a fellow Texan, Rob. My now deceased mother-in-law worried beyond belief. She also was devout in belief that Christ was her savior. Having watched her “worry herself to death,” was a good lesson for me. God can handle it all, can’t he?
(Texas)
Hi Rob,
You’ve described one of the bad habits I have. Unfortunately, my default mode with my concerns and my problems is not to go to God first. I only turn to God when I feel overwhelmed. Of course, by then my thoughts or actions have complicated them. There’s no problem so bad that my trying to solve it won’t make it worse.
I was thinking about my lack of trust in God earlier this morning, so I’m taking this as confirmation from God; He wants me to trust Him! There’s a saying: “Let go and let God”. I’m going to make a conscious effort to do that, so I pray that I’m open to divine guidance and divine strength.
Rob, this was a terrific meditation for me, and I thank you so much for your honesty and openness.
Dear Rob:
Thank you for a delightful and profound devotional. Learning to put our trust in the Lord for all things, great and small, is very hard: especially the “small things” – such as misplaced keys and eye glasses – the bane of my existence. I have often been critical of those who go the Lord with all their problems, thinking that God has more pressing matters to deal with than my misplaced car keys. Yet, it is often these “little things” that are the source my major “lose your religion” episodes. Learning to pause, take a deep breath and ask the Lord for patience, calmness and maybe even a hint as to where the glasses might be is a far better approach than storming around, tearing up the house for a pair of glasses that are quietly sitting on the bathroom counter where I left them. Sometimes the problems even resolve themselves while we pray and wait for guidance, which is not quite the same as saying procrastination pays.
P.S. Strong tea with lots of milk and sugar is considered the universal antidote for everything except a stomach wound in the British Army.