Taking burdens to God

Our quilters group met last night. Besides sewing and sharing, we read a devotional and shared our prayer requests. We were burdened for a woman who is stuck waiting in the most unsuitable part of a local hospital for placement in a nursing home, a woman whose pregnancy is in danger, another who is pregnant with twins and already has three children under four, and another who awaits a biopsy to verify an ovarian cancer diagnosis. 
 

Those in the group also spoke of children who have no respect for any authority, over-burdened leaders, and wayward family members. I’m sure many of us also had on our mind recent multiple deaths from car accidents, the murders and crime in our city and many troubles in the world around us. 

In a world where there is so much to distress our spirits, how wonderful that we can be assured of God’s presence and that we can take our cares to Him.

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1)

Events in our lives and in the lives of those we love can upset our composure and rob us of our peace. There is much out there that can sadden and depress us. We are privileged to have communion with our Lord, the One who is our true source of gladness and abiding joy. 

All these burdens can seem insurmountable to us, but nothing is too difficult for God. No illness, no problem, no disaster is beyond His ability to repair or to use for His glory and our good. What privilege we have to consecrate the burdens of our hearts to the God who is able to do all things. 

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Lord, just as “even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you” (Psalm 139:12), so are the difficulties of life. You are equal to the challenge of our need for daily wisdom as well as help with unexpected problems and sorrows. You grant victory and grace, even solutions to all our problems and challenges. For You, grace in disaster and peace in sorrow are as simple as giving life to the lilies of the field and a song to the sparrows. You can change hearts, even the hearts of those that seem the least likely to change. You can heal the sick, give strength to the weak, even use all things for our good. How wonderful that we can bring any and every burden to You in prayer, knowing that You hear us and knowing that You will answer with the right and best solution. How gracious You are —how privileged we are!

(photo source)