“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
Some burdens are simply too heavy for us to carry, and God never asked us to. Yet we white-knuckle them, turn them over and over in our minds, and let imaginary and real disasters steal our peace. Jesus calls that what it is—worry, and worry is destructive. There comes a moment when God reveals the situation is out of your hands:
A relationship you can’t fix;
A prodigal you can’t drag home;
A diagnosis you can’t change;
A courtroom decision you can’t control;
A financial knot you can’t untie.
Every circumstance beyond our control (which, if we’re honest, is really every circumstance,) is an opportunity to bring greater glory to God in a way that we could not have done if we were in control. Understanding our helplessness cuts us off from the illusion that we’re the one holding everything together. Because we aren’t.
We never were.
We need to develop a working understanding that when a situation is out of our control, it also needs to be out of our mind and placed in God’s hands. When what is out of our hands is placed squarely in God’s hands, we are free to serve Him without distraction or worry.
Remember, God does our life better than we do!
The Bible reminds us:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
And how do we get God’s peace? Well it begins with our salvation and continues with developing the attitudes of Christ and the mind of Christ. We must decide whether we are going to think with the carnal mind, which is at enmity with God, or the mind of Christ, which is dominated by peace. Indeed, the verses in Philippians go on to instruct us about what to think about—in order to have God’s peace:
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9
Jesus promised us:
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
When we cling to the trouble that is out of our control, all we do is exhaust ourselves. We lose sleep, lose focus, lose joy—and nothing changes. But when we release it mentally and spiritually, we invite the peace of God in. My friend, letting go isn’t defeat; it is obedience. Letting go is worship because it is acknowledging the Lordship of Christ. Essentially, we are saying: “God, I trust You more than I trust myself.” The truth is simple: If it’s out of your hands, keeping it in your mind is pointless. If you can’t affect it, don’t let it infect you.
Our responsibility is to glorify God; God’s responsibility is… everything else.
Challenge:
Identify one thing today that is out of your hands but still controlling your mind. Write it down. Pray over it. Then release it—mentally and spiritually. Put it in a lock box. Every time it tries to crawl back into your mind, say out loud: “Get back in the box; you are in God’s hands, not mine.” 😳 (Yes, I do this!)
Prayer:
Father, I’m done pretending I can carry my own burdens. What’s out of my hands has been poisoning my mind, and I’m releasing it now. You are God—I’m not. You see what I can’t, You control what I don’t, and You care more deeply than I ever could. Take the weight I’ve been carrying. Take the fear I’ve been feeding. Take the outcome I’ve tried to manage. I lay it down before You—fully, not halfway. Replace my anxious thoughts with Your peace. Replace my need for control with trust in You. Replace my worry with confidence in Your perfect plans. When trouble tries to cloud my mind, remind me it’s better off in Your hands. I love You, Lord! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
