Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.
1 Peter 5:7
It is a happy way of soothing sorrow when we can feel-"HE careth for me." Christian! Do not dishonor religion by always wearing a brow of care; come, cast your burden upon your Lord.You are staggering beneath a weight which your Father would not feel. What seems to you a crushing burden, would be to Him but as the small dust of the balance. Nothing is so sweet as to
"Lie passive in God's hands,
And know no will but His."
O child of suffering, be thou patient; God has not passed thee over in His providence. He who is the feeder of sparrows, will also furnish you with what you need. Sit not down in despair; hope on, hope ever. Take up the arms of faith against a sea of trouble, and your opposition shall yet end your distresses. There is One who careth for you. His eye is fixed on you, His heart beats with pity for your woe, and his hand omnipotent shall yet bring you the needed help. The darkest cloud shall scatter itself in showers of mercy. The blackest gloom shall give place to the morning. He, if thou art one of His family, will bind up thy wounds, and heal thy broken heart. Doubt not His grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that He loveth thee as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness. What a serene and quiet life might you lead if you would leave providing to the God of providence! With a little oil in the cruse, and a handful of meal in the barrel, Elijah outlived the famine, and you will do the same. If God cares for you, why need you care too? Can you trust Him for your soul, and not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens, He has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! have done with fretful care, and leave all thy concerns in the hand of a gracious God.
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Charles Spurgeon's words in his January 6, Morning and Evening devotion have been a sweet balm to my soul.
Two Thousand and Sixteen is a going to be quite the year. And if there was anything that I constantly needed to learn in Two Thousand and Fifteen, it was my need to open my clenched fists of how I thought things should go, and hold my hands open, palms upward. Because time and time again...The Lord would reveal to me through His creation, through trials and lessons, through blessings and victories, that He truly cares for and truly loves His children. That He will not ever leave or forsake us. That He will always provide.
I already know that this coming year is going to be one that stretches me, stretches our growing little family in ways we haven't ever been stretched before. I know we are going to grow, fall more in love with each other and our daughter, go on adventures we couldn't have dreamed of...and I'm so excited. So hopeful. So thankful to have a Father who cares for His children. Thankful for a Father who is constant and unchanging...in a world that is ever changing.
My prayer is that whatever 2016 brings, wherever it takes us, that we would stay open-palmed and not tight fisted, Because we are most happy when we are at peace. And there is no better way to be peaceful than when we are resting in and trusting our Heavenly Father.
