Gems of Knowledge

Today’s One Year Bible Verses: 2 Kings 13:1–14:29, Acts 18:23–19:12, Psalm 146:1–10, Proverbs 18:2–3

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Let Go and Let God

The other day I caught myself having a conversation in my head that I’ve had far too many times before.

I was thinking about a situation I couldn’t fix. I replayed it from every angle, wondering what I should do, what I could have done differently, and how everything might unfold in the future. The strange thing was that nothing had changed. There was no new information, no new solution, and no new outcome. Yet there I was, carrying it again.

As I sat quietly with the Lord, I felt Him gently ask me a question.

“Why are you still struggling? When will you give it to Me? I will take it from you. Amen.“

The question stopped me because I wasn’t sure how to answer.

After all, I had already prayed about the situation. More than once. I had asked God for wisdom. I had asked Him for direction. I had even told Him I trusted Him. Yet if I was being honest, I was still carrying the weight of it everywhere I went.

I was still thinking about it when I woke up in the morning. I was still revisiting it throughout the day. I was still trying to solve it in my own mind. Nothing had changed except that I was becoming more exhausted.

That’s when I realized there is a difference between bringing a burden to God and actually surrendering it to Him.

Sometimes we bring our struggles to the Lord, but we never really let them go. We pray about them, then quietly pick them back up again. We ask Him to take them, but continue carrying them because we are afraid of what might happen if we release control. We tell ourselves we are being responsible, when in reality we are simply worrying.

I think that is why the Lord’s question struck me so hard.

Why are you still struggling?

Not because He was criticizing me, but because He was inviting me into something better.

A loving Father does not enjoy watching His children carry burdens He never intended them to bear. He sees the anxiety, the fear, the constant mental wrestling, and He gently asks us to hand it over.

Psalm 146 reminds us where our confidence belongs. The psalmist warns against placing our trust in human strength and human solutions because they are temporary. Instead, we are called to place our hope in the Lord, the One who remains faithful forever.

That doesn’t mean our problems instantly disappear, every question is immediately answered, or situation changes overnight.

What changes is who carries the burden.

God never asked us to carry tomorrow. He never asked us to control outcomes we cannot control. He never asked us to solve every problem in our own strength. He simply asks us to trust Him enough to place those things into His hands.

Perhaps there is something you’ve been carrying for so long that you don’t even realize you’re carrying it anymore. Maybe it’s a fear about the future, a disappointment you haven’t fully released, a relationship that weighs heavily on your heart, or a situation that refuses to resolve itself no matter how many times you’ve thought about it.

Whatever it is, God already knows about it. He is not waiting for you to figure it out before He helps you. In fact, He may be asking the same question He asked me:

Why are you still struggling? When will you give it to Me? I will take it from you.

What a beautiful invitation – Not necessarily that we will understand everything or fix everything, but that we can finally stop carrying it all alone.

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Action (5 Minutes with God)

Take 5 minutes to be with the Lord today. Ask Him:

• “Lord, what do You want me to know about this personally?”
  • Journal what He gives you through His Holy Spirit.
• Then ask, “What do You want me to do?”
  • Journal what He reveals – then do it!

Let Him show you if there are any burden, fear, or internal struggle that you have been carrying alone then intentionally place them into His hands. Allow Him to carry it for you.

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Prayer

Father, thank You for caring about every burden I carry. Forgive me for the times I say I trust You while continuing to hold tightly to my worries, fears, and struggles. Help me truly surrender them to You. Teach me to trust Your wisdom, Your timing, and Your faithfulness. Thank You that I do not have to carry these burdens alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

To read more 5 Minutes with God devotionals click here.