It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever been asked to do, but there was no mistaking God’s voice.
My daughter has had many hardships and near tragedies in her young thirty-something life. She’s struggled with relationships, health issues, and a bout with drugs and alcohol. A believer who loves the Lord with all her heart, she wonders sometimes why God doesn’t come immediately to her rescue.
As mothers do, I’ve had a tendency to pick up her offences over the years and take on the care of her problems. I’ve prayed for her faithfully every day since she was a baby and felt many times as if her problems were my own. I’ve found myself totally stressed out without even knowing why.
As I was driving one day—and praying for my daughter—the Lord clearly said to my spirit, “Will you release her to me?”
The question took me by surprise. He asked again. I said yes, but found myself having a hard time following through. The act of letting her go was physically painful. My heart felt as if it were being crushed under the weight of His request. Could I truly trust God to take on the responsibility of caring for her?
The moment I released my child to the One who loves her unconditionally—and has a wonderful plan and purpose for her life—a deep sense of heaviness left me, and the peace of God filled me. Yes indeed, I can trust Him to take care of my daughter, as well as everyting else in my life. My only responsibility is to love, to pray, and to be there whenever she needs me.
The cares of this life are many, but God tells us not to worry. When we do, we allow those cares to choke out the Word that has been planted in our heart. God is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipresent (everywhere present). He knows the end from the beginning and everything in between. He is concerned with everything that concerns us and is more than able to handle whatever comes our way. Nothing catches Him by surprise, and nothing is impossible for Him.
If you find yourself weighed down by the cares of this life, maybe God is saying it’s time to let go. Cast all your cares on Him, and watch what He will do in your life and in the lives of those you love.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Andrea Merrell is an award-winning author and professional freelance editor. She is an associate editor with Christian Devotions Ministries and was a finalist for the 2016 Editor of the Year Award at BRMCWC and the 2018 Excellence in Editing award by the Christian Editors Network. Andrea is a graduate of Christian Communicators and was a finalist in the 2015 USA Best Book Awards and the 2018 Selah Awards, as well as a semi-finalist in the 2018 ACFW Genesis contest. She has been published in numerous anthologies and online venues, teaches workshops on writing and editing, and is the co-founder and regular contributor to www.TheWriteEditing.com, a blog designed specifically for writers. Andrea is the author of Murder of a Manuscript, Praying for the Prodigal, and Marriage: Make It or Break It. Contact her at www.AndreaMerrell.com.