01/06/2019
Do you have enough humility, faith, and confidence in God, to hand your problems over to Him? Or, perhaps you are just someone who worries over every trouble, all troubles, yours, theirs, the world’s, and just can’t let them go. Do you realize that when you do this you are damaging yourself, and that you are harming the temple of the Holy Spirit within you in stressing this way? To God none of your issues or worries presents any challenge whatsoever, so why do you shoulder them yourself?
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV
God has made our bodies into the temple of His Holy Spirit, and we should protect it, and keep it holy, but when we carry around worry, anxiety, and the stress that accompanies them we are damaging this temple.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV
Some of the negative ramifications of trying to hold onto our worries show themselves in physical ways such as being unable to sleep, tremors, heart damage, ulcers, hives... and the list goes on. Others exhibit themselves in mental manifestations such as depression, anger, sobbing, broken relationships, mental breakdowns, and even Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We read about the weight of anxiety, and even though we understand it to be real, we often find ourselves unable to cope with it. Listen to God’s understanding of our predicament, and the relief that He provides for us in scripture...
“Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”
Proverbs 12:25 ESV
“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7 ESV
So God love’s us, and does not wish for us to be damaged in these terrible ways; He offers to take our load for us, and if we have faith in Him, He will step in and take these burdens. He does this first because He loves us, but also because the temple that He has placed within us is His, and we are only its caretakers. The ultimate responsibility for keeping this temple safe, and in good order, is His, but He has entrusted us as watchmen over it, and to inform Him when it is in danger. Your worries, troubles, and anxieties, are threats to the proper workings of God’s temple, but are you calling Him to action when they arise?
“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.”
Psalms 34:17-20 ESV
Then, in as much as God provides, and rescues us from our tribulations, give Him thanks for all that He does to relieve our burdens, because as He takes our troubles, and anxiousness, He imparts to us His love, peace, rest, and strength... giving us sound bodies and minds to surround the temple within us.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.”
Psalms 103:2-5 ESV
I love a particular thought that Charles Spurgeon wrote regarding God’s ability to shoulder our troubles...
“If God cares for you, why do you need to care? Can you trust Him for your soul, but not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens; He has never fainted under their weight. Come, then! Be done with fretful care. Leave all your concerns on the hand of a Gracious God.” - Charles Spurgeon
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your love and provision in my life. Thank you Lord for taking my troubles and burdens, and leaving me free of stress and anxiety. Thank you for draining my cares, and refilling this vessel with your peace and rest. You are my strength, and my protector, and in you I am comforted. My burdens are relieved by your hand, and the temple within me is restored by your mercy and ability to take away my suffering. Help me Father to release my problems into your hands, and to have faith enough to leave them there. Help me in my unbelief, and give me the courage needed to close my eyes in the face of my enemy... my stress. Powerful are you my God, and great is your ability to defeat my troubles. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you who soothes my soul, gives rest to my body, sets a table for me in the presence of my enemies, and restores the temple of your Holy Spirit within me. Praised be your name my God, and in you I place my faith and relinquish my fear. To you I yield all glory... now and forevermore!
“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 ESV
Rich Forbes