28 Question 4

This struggle is so common to Christians.  I admit that sometimes it is hard to lay our problems at the Lord’s feet and then leave them there.  As you said, we sometimes feel there is something we should do to solve our own problems, even after we’ve given them to the Lord.  I really think it’s a matter of trust.  Can we trust the Lord to do what He said He would do?  Can we say what King David said in Psalms 7:1, “O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust…”?

Realistically, trust has to be earned.  We don’t blindly trust a stranger.  We may trust someone to a degree once we get to know him.  We may develop a relationship with someone and learn that we can trust them.  On the other hand, we may realize that we cannot trust someone after we get to know them.  Some people simply cannot be trusted.

Can we trust the Lord?  Well, let’s look at some of His promises and see if He keeps His promises to us.  The Lord Jesus said in John 6:37, “…him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”  Have you found that to be true?  Did not the Lord accept you when you came to Him in faith?  Let’s look at the Lord’s promises concerning our physical needs.  David said in Psalms 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”  The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  Realizing the Lord has promised to meet all our needs, and not necessary our wants, have you found Him to be faithful by providing for all your physical needs?

The Lord made a wonderful promise in Hebrews 13:5 where He said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”  Is that not true?  Has the Lord been faithful with this promise?  He most certainly has kept this promise.  To all who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord will never leave.  We read in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Not only has the Lord promised that He will never leave us, He assures us that nothing will ever change that.

I think it is abundantly clear: we can trust the Lord to do what He says He will do.  He wants our burdens.  He wants us to give Him our needs and cares.  1 Peter 5:7 tells us, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”  It is the Lord’s desire that we depend completely upon Him, giving Him all our cares and letting Him minister to our needs.  As you said, we need to let go and let God.

There are instances where people tried to help the Lord accomplish His purpose, and it always messed things up.  The Lord promised Abraham a son in his old age.  Sarah, his wife, thought she was too old to bear a child, so she sent her handmaiden, Hagar, into Abraham so she could give him a son.  Through Hagar, Abraham became a father at the age of eighty six.  Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.  However, this was not the son that the Lord had promised to Abraham.  The Lord had chosen Isaac to be the heir of Abraham.  Listen to the words of the Lord to Abraham in Genesis 22:2, “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah…”  Although Isaac was not technically the only son of Abraham, the Lord had rejected Ishmael and considered Isaac to be Abraham’s only son.

In the garden of Gethsemane, a multitude of people came to take the Lord Jesus to be crucified.  We read in Luke 22:49-51, “When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.”  We know from the Gospel of John, that it was Peter that cut off the servant’s ear.  Peter was trying to help the Lord, but he only made matters worse.  He cut off a man’s ear, but the Lord was gracious enough to put it back on.   Instead of just trusting in the Lord, Peter thought he knew best and acted in a way that was contrary to the Lord’s will.

So, to apply that to your question, the lesson we can take away is that when we act without the Lord’s guidance, we make a mess of things.  The Lord has asked us to give Him our burdens because He is wise enough and powerful enough to take care of us and our burdens.  Ask yourself these questions:

Does the Lord love you?

Has the Lord asked you to give Him your burdens?

Is the Lord able to take care of you?

Has the Lord ever broken a promise to you?

Can you trust the Lord to take care of you and your burdens?

I think you can see that the best place for your burdens is at the feet of the Lord.  Give them to Him and leave them there.  The more you do this, your trust will build and it will become easier to “let go and let God.”