Saturday, February 3, 2018

Give Your Burdens to the Lord: a devotion by Ann Broughton



" Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (2 Peter 5:7 NIV).

Are you feeling anxiety or feeling burdened by stress? Life is filled with unpredictable events that can fill your soul with great stress and burden your heart. What do you do when your life is overwhelmed with anxiety? Do you wallow in the stress or do you give it to God and let Him handle it? It is very easy to let fear swallow you up so that you cannot even think straight. But if you are a Christian, there is another option that will give you peace.

One of my favorite verses is one that Jesus spoke to his followers: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NIV). I have learned when I am burdened due to things that are out of my control, the only way for me to find peace in my soul is to to give my burdens to God and leave them in his hands. I can honestly say that I have found true peace in my soul every time I do this. When I worry, stress, and beg God over and over to fix it, I do not have peace. Only when I completely surrender the things that I am anxious about is when I find total peace. Jesus promised that we would have peace through the Holy Spirit. “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, who the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14: 26-27 NIV). This peace is available to you if you pray and ask God to help you.

Please trust me when I tell you that God’s peace will fill you up if you ask him to help you. Just pray and give him all your anxieties, fears, and burdens and then you will feel his peace fill your soul. I have felt this peace many times after surrendering my burdens to the Lord. I know you will find this peace also.

Dear Lord,
I cast all of my burdens, fears, and anxieties into your arms, knowing that you love me and that you do not want me to carry these on my own. Thank you for filling me with the peace that only you can give.
In Jesus’ name,


Amen

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