Let Go & Let God!! / Worship the LORD with Gladness!!
““This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you — you of little faith? So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat? ’ or ‘What will we drink? ’ or ‘What will we wear? ’ For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:25-34 HCSB
“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise — dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:6-8 HCSB
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7 HCSB
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” Psalms 55:22 HCSB
““Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 HCSB
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 HCSB
“Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”” Joshua 1:9 HCSB
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 HCSB
Most of us have heard the expression “let go & let God”, but what does that actually mean? Should we just throw our hands in the air & run around carelessly saying, “nothing I do is going to matter, so what’s the point in even trying”? Of course not. We should care & make an effort. God gave us the freedom & ability to form plans & make decisions as we go about our lives
What it does mean, is that when we’re making our plans & striving to accomplish our goals, we need to keep our eyes focused on God, rely on & operate through His strength & trust His perfect plan no matter what comes our way. It means we should work to glorify God in & through what we can control, & let God take care of everything else. It means we should surrender our wills & ways to Him, & rest peacefully in His grace & mercy without fear or worry.
What is the point of worrying anyway? It doesn’t change anything. Worry accomplishes nothing besides adding stress & misery to our lives. Jesus said as much in the gospels when He said “Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying?” (Matt 6:27). Scripture is filled with instructions not to worry. Most of us understand this & we get the reasons why. What we tend to struggle with is the “how”.
How do we do this? How do we not worry? The main way is by shifting our focus. By choosing to focus on God rather than ourselves. One way we can do this is deciding that when troubles &/or doubts come our way, instead of stressing out & focusing on the problems, we turn to God & focus on His provisions & His goodness. We turn our worries into worship.
God has given us so many blessings & so many reasons to glorify & praise Him. Even if our circumstances are so dark at a given moment that we can’t remember or see His kindness to us specifically, we can look to His character displayed radiantly throughout the Bible. And we can see Him majestically displayed in the wonderful world around us – beautiful sunrises & sunsets; colorful flowers, plants, & trees; majestic mountains; powerful oceans; adorable animals; diverse & unique people; etc.
The earth is filled with reasons to praise the LORD. And as believers, we have another reason to praise & worship Him – He gave us Jesus so that we can be with Him for eternity!
So how do we shift our focus? When a worry or concern comes to our minds, we offer it up to God in prayer. Then, we can run scriptures through our minds (reading God’s Word & committing it to memory is very helpful in this :-D). We can also sing hymns &/or praise & worship songs (silently or audibly, your choice :-D). It’s amazing the difference these simple acts make in our hearts & minds. As we practice this, soon it will become our default reaction. No, life will not get easier. And no, our troubles, problems, & concerns will not disappear. But the burden of carrying them will be lighter, & we will be able to move through them with inexplicable joy & peace that can only come from God, & we will be a shining light to the world around us.
Trust God. Focus on His goodness. Worship Him with gladness!
Our Faith, Hope, & Joy 