Cast all your anxieties upon Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
She was at her wits’ end. Despite Helen’s best effort and long work hours, she couldn’t keep up with her workload. The quality of service her clients depended on was fading. She’d run Uptown Business Services for years and Helen worked hard to meet the bookkeeping needs of every client. But for the last couple of years it seemed the harder she tried, the behind-er she got. Her faculties had slowed, dragging her further from her goal of good service. Financially, she couldn’t afford to retire. The minimal income from her few clients made the difference in keeping afloat or sinking. Daily she sought God’s help to accomplish that day’s work.
Helen knew her old home was too big, too much for her to manage, but selling it and buying a new place—even renting an apartment, would be impossible without her bookkeeping income. She found herself caught between a rock and a hard place. Still, Helen’s faith remained strong in a God who was a Deliverer. So she struggled, trying to manage paycheck to paycheck.
I’ve found myself in the same predicament—immersed in a problem too big to see around, yet all the while holding to the hope that God would show me how to correct it. We pray to God, asking for direction. “How do I fix this, God?”
Surrender to me, He whispers.
Surrender is a hard concept for humans to accept. Pride comes in so many different disguises. It’s difficult to let go of control. I’ve been known to have the attitude of, “It’s my problem, surely God will work through me to solve it.” But that wasn’t what God asked me to do. He asked me to surrender.
God doesn’t always provide an immediate remedy. Sometimes he makes me wait so I become dependent on Him. As His servant, all I need do is listen for His voice and say, “Yes, Lord, I surrender to You.” Letting go and letting God is hard but rewarding.
Stop asking for a way to fix things and surrender it to God. Cast your cares on Him. He will provide.
Gay Ingram writes from her home in the piney woods of East Texas.
Read Gay’s devotions.
