Thursday, April 3, 2025

1 Peter 5:7

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

Here is a biblical statement made by Peter that makes believing in God well worth the effort to study and understand. It is also one that for me, and I’ll bet most of us, is very difficult to do. Peter makes it sound simple; just give your worries to God and go on about your business now relieved of all your worldly cares. I certainly can and do pray to God for his help in dealing with major events in my life such as the loss of a son and a wife. And it helps. The promise that one day I will be reunited with my family has helped me deal with these types of life challenges for which I was not prepared. It seems to me that one of the dangers of following Peter’s encouragement is that I get into the procrastination routine. For example, I have a devotion about due, but I’ll just put it in God’s hands, and he will deal with it. And maybe he actually does when I get a gentle reminder from Andrea! But I think one can see what I mean. We all have day-to-day worries, some little and some small, but worries nonetheless! It can be very difficult to pray and then more or less walk away from these worries. But help from God through other people can show up at unexpected times-. A phone call from a friend that you have not heard from for a long time. A person you hardly know inquires about how you are doing and offers to sit down and listen to your concerns. God works through others and often in mysterious ways. So, keep on praying to God and your concerns will be lightened even if they do not disappear. 

Questions for Reflection:

• Do you feel relieved when you turn to God for consultation about your problems? If so, does it help you deal with life’s ups and downs?
• Do you thank God when you believe he has helped you deal with your concerns?

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank you for helping me through my day-to-day worries and problems. I know that my prayers are often answered with others’ help, and often unexpectedly. You work through these other people, and I am appreciative.

PrayerWorry