A Loving God and Problems
We often become discouraged and bogged down in life’s cares. The fact that both the Old and New Testaments address this problem the same way indicates that God knows problems and worries are inevitable in this life. Thankfully, He has given us the same solution He gave in both Psalms and Peter’s letter.
“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”
Psalm 55:22
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7
Contained within these two verses are several amazing truths: God will sustain us, He will never let us fall, and He cares for us. Taken one at a time, we see first that God declares both His ability and His willingness to be our strength and support—mentally, emotionally and spiritually. He is able (and best of all, willing!) to take everything that threatens to overwhelm us and use it for our benefit. He has promised to “work all things together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Even at times when we doubt Him, He is still working for our good and His glory. And He has also promised that He will allow no trial to be so great we cannot bear it and that He will provide a means of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). By this, He means that He will not let us fall, as He promised (Psalm 55:22).
The third statement—“he cares for you”—gives us the motivation behind His other promises. Our God is not cold or unfeeling. Rather, He is our loving heavenly Father whose heart is tender toward His children. Jesus reminds us that just as an earthly father would not deny his children bread, so God has promised to give us good gifts when we ask Him (Matthew 7:11).
The Lord reveals to us through His Word, the Bible, that we can be of good “cheer,” that we can rejoice in our problems because God will use them to our benefit. “Knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4). We can see our “worries” as an opportunity to practice. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”(Proverbs 3:5-6)
So, each day, taking one step at a time, we should pray for God’s Word to guide us, read or listen to God’s Word, and meditate on God’s Word when the problems, worries, and anxieties of life come along. The secret to giving things over to Christ is really no secret at all—it’s simply asking Jesus to take our burdens and he will be our Saviour (John 3:16), as well as submitting to Jesus as our Lord in day-to-day living. God is bigger than any of our problems.
Article by Sair. Photography by Pixabay (pexels.com)
