Give your problems to God

       I was asked “How do you give something to God?” I misunderstood the motive behind the question and answered by saying we give on the first day of the week as we have been prospered as instructed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 16 because the Church has the authority (Ephesians 1:22-23) of Christ to handle the affairs of the spread of the gospel and the needs of the saints etc. I remembered an uncle of mine one time told me of a preacher coming by his place and asking him would he like to give to the Lord. My uncle said “Sure”. They talked for a while and the preacher was leaving and held out his hand and said he would take the offering to the Lord and my uncle said “When he comes back I’ll just give it to him myself”.

Like the preacher misunderstanding the motives of my uncle, I misunderstood the question of how to give something to God. She said “No no no, not that. I mean how do you give your problems to God”?

Peter said in 1 Peter 5: 6 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

That’s a whole different thing ain’t it? If you’re asked how do I give something to God and the first thought is giving monetary offerings on the first day of the week that speaks volumes about the one being asked doesn’t it. LOL! But still it is good to be caught off guard sometimes and it will show you what you need to work on. And I have plenty “attitudes” to work on. Anyway I’m going to try and answered it with the correct context of the question which is what Peter told us in 1 Peter 5 I referenced.

When Jesus was in the garden praying He was giving His problems to God. Look how it’s described in Luke. “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground”

Jesus gave us an example of how to give our problems to God. Jesus cast His cares on the Father and just as Peter said, IN DUE TIME Jesus was exalted. Jesus humbled Himself, was in agony to the point of sweating drops like blood. and prayed and cast His cares upon the Father. And in due time He was exalted. I Hebrews 4:16 we are told, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." 

Casting our cares on the Father is not a cliché as Joel Osteen or some other motivational speaker would have you believe. Every person has problems and all Christians pray to God and cast their problems on Him with the knowledge that He hears us and in His due time He will exalt us. That doesn’t mean He will make the house payment in due time for us. But a lot of these mega preachers have people believing problems go away by the cliché version of “Cast your problem to God”.

I have my share of problems just like everyone else. I cast mine to God every single day. And every month the same bills due come around and sometimes a new problem pops up. In due time I will be exalted if I humble myself and understand the good rain falls on the just and the unjust and as the Proverb writer says in 30:33 “Wringing the nose produces blood”. That applies to anything with a nose, believer or non believer, bull or mule. But God’s people have a Father who cares for us as He cared for His only begotten Son who was in agony mentally and was about to be tortured physically. He’s the King over all creation now because He was exalted in due time.

Who or what can the heathen and unbeliever pray too and cast their troubles to with the knowledge that it cares and will exalt them some day? Nothing. The Joel Osteen cliché version of giving your problems to God also produces nothing. There is no hope in smiling and pretending the house payment coming up will get paid miraculously or some pain or emotion will go away because you invited God to come in and take care of it.

I don’t know when God intervenes and when He doesn’t. I do know that scripture tells us he hears the prayers of the righteous. And we are told to pray without doubting. Jesus prayed in agony for the Father’s will to be done and asked humbly if it was the Father’s will the cup would pass from Him. We Know Jesus gave His problems to God, was tortured and crucified, and in due time was exalted.