Lay Down Your Cares

Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name.  Psalms 103:1 KJV

Throughout the Psalms David sets an important example for us as he instructs his soul to praise the LORD and bless His name. David reminds himself, and us, not to forget who God is. Although he is aware of his sin and his weakness, rather than worry, he worships the Lord of heaven and earth. 

Psalms 96:1 NIV Go ahead—sing your new song to the Lord! Let everyone in every language sing Him a new song.

Pick up your Bible this week, learn how to train our hearts and minds in the storm. In fact, the way to care for our hearts is by keeping our minds fixed on the truth of God's Word. When we do, we will begin to experience the calm of Christ.

The most effective and powerful antidote for anxiety is thanksgiving and praise. When we feel despair coming on or even begin to think about the possibility of it coming on we want to immediately stop and "BOW."  

Psalms 100:2 CSB Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.

Bow before Him. Bring all of your cares to Him! Lay them at His feet. Humble yourself before Him. Honor Him as God. He knows it all. He can handle it all. Bring Him your heartache, your family, your finances, your day, your marriage, your future, your life — all of your concerns. He knows what is best, and He works all things according to His wise and loving will. Cast all of your cares upon Him believing that He cares for you. He is able. He cares for each of His creations!

Psalms 106:1-3 CSB Hallelujah! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever. Who can declare the Lord’s mighty acts or proclaim all the praise due Him? How happy are those who uphold justice, who practice righteousness at all times.

Picture yourself standing steady in the boat- Offload your angst. Humbly hold each thought up to the Word of God. Take your worry, your anxiety, your fear, your unbelief, your anger — all that is weighing down your little boat - and confess them to the Lord. Throw each and every one overboard, and let them fall to the bottom of the sea -  His grace.

Holy Spirit gives us the courage to trust God with the things that are causing chaos in our life, rather than trying to control them ourselves because His ways are higher than our ways. We can choose to surrender control, knowing that His way is far greater than the way we thought it would turn out. Thank You Lord!  

True peace is the conviction that says “ I cannot find peace within myself, but I find it in Jesus” By choosing faith, we Worship the Lord. May we Fix our eyes upon Him. Take your eyes off of yourself and the turmoil and set them securely upon the Lord. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and come into His courts with praise. Thank Him from the bottom of your heart, worship Him in the spirit of holiness, praising and thanking God because He knows what is best. He is all powerful. He is in control. He knows what He is doing. And He has us each in the palm of that mighty hand. 

So as we head out into the week ahead- kind of like heading out to sea lol - Take a moment to practice taking these truths to heart. Turn to Psalm 96 in your Bible and bow before God. If you are not able to bow literally, humbly bow before Him in your heart. He is God. He loves us each with a love that knows no bounds.