Letting Go of What You Can't Fix - Your Nightly Prayer - October 28th
Letting Go of What You Can’t Fix
Your Nightly Prayer
By Lynette Kittle
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” -1 Peter 5:7
SOMETHING TO PONDER
Sometimes, it can seem to settle at night, with a million thoughts, cares, and concerns running through our minds.
Yet, our bodies and minds need rest and a break from the world's everyday cares. Still, how do we calm down when there is so much going on in our lives and in our world?
Daily reports of unsettling events happening nearby and on lands far away bombard us throughout our days, weeks, and years, stirring up a sense of uncertainty, not knowing when we lie down at night, what catastrophic event might be next to befall the earth.
But we can’t fix the world, and often, we can even fix the stuff in our own lives, either. So, how do we find rest and freedom from the world’s burdens? Is it possible to release our problems into God’s hands before we hit the pillow each night?
God calls us to cast it out, release it, and throw it away, trusting Him to deal with it. But it’s easier said than done because we often lack the belief and confidence that He really will take care of things for us.
But God doesn’t lie, and if He calls us to cast our cares away, He’s serious and will take care of stuff for us—maybe not how we envision it, but most likely much better than we could ever figure out on our own.
Counting sheep may lull some to sleep, but for worriers, it just keeps them up at night, wondering if they have miscounted.
Still, some of us struggle to believe it rationalizing that, it’s much more productive to toss and turn all night long, calculating how we can fix things, when we know that, most of the time, we’ll wake up in the morning with less of an idea of what to do, to make things right, than we did 8 hours ago.
This is when we want to remind ourselves that because He is faithful and trustworthy, we can fluff our pillow, pull the sheets up over us in peace, and toss our cares over to Him for the night, letting go of all the troubles in our lives and world.
Let us trust You to watch over us tonight, as Psalm 139:5 describes, “You hem me in behind and before, and You lay your hand upon me.”
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Dear Father,
Help us tonight and every night to cast all our anxiety, worry, fear, and more to You, big and small, knowing You care for us. Help our minds to calm down tonight, and when our thinking tries to lead us away from Your comfort and peace, lead us to look to You rather than our worries. Hem us in, O Lord, like Your word describes, and let Your hand cover us with Your perfect peace.
In Jesus’name,
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. An hour or two before bedtime, whenever a care or worry tries to lead your thinking into fear and anxiety, read or recite 1 Peter 5:7. Also, write it down on a sticky and post it to your mirror or whatever item you look at right before going to bed.
2. What keeps you up most at night? Tonight, try briefly writing them down on a piece of paper, crinkling it up, and tossing it into the trash as an act of casting your worries on God.
3. As you lie in bed tonight, consider how God is hemming you in and covering you with His hand of protection.
Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Kinga Cichewicz
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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