Give It To God

I was talking to a group of people and asked them to share some of the things that they were worried about. After fielding several answers, I saw a common thread and paused the discussion. I called out the things they had said, but pointed out that the things they were worried about could have been prevented if they had taken care of the little things before they turned into big things. Then I asked them to think about what worried them that was beyond their control or ability to repair. I then asked how many of them had prayed about it. Almost all had raised their hands. I then pointed out that there’s a difference in praying about something only God can do and in giving something to God that only He can do.

In 1 Samuel 1, Hannah couldn’t have children. She was ridiculed and shamed for it. While they were visiting the Tabernacle in Shiloh, she decided to go pray about it. She was in such great distress about it and crying that her lips were moving, but words weren’t coming out. The priest saw her and thought she was drunk. She explained that she was discouraged and just pouring her heart out to the Lord. The priest then told her to go in peace and trust that God would grant her request. That’s when she gave it to God. Verse 18 says, “Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad” (NLT). When she decided to give it to God, her countenance and mood changed.

1 Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” Notice that it doesn’t just tell us to take our worries and cares to God. It tells us to give them to Him. He care about the things that consume your mind and keep you up. He care about the things that bring you distress and anguish. Yes, you need to take them to Him in prayer, but there is a difference in casting your burden on the Lord and in talking to Him about it. The way we give it to Him is to release the outcome to His decision and to quit rehearsing scenarios in our mind. When they come up, remind yourself that you’ve given it to God and that you will still trust Him if He chooses an outcome that’s different from the one you want. It may take a while to retrain your brain, but it is possible to be able to let go and let God.

Photo by Herish Natheer on Unsplash