Take It to The Lord

In my devotions I was reading a story in 2 Kings 19  and it got me to thinking. It says in verse 14 that "Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord."  
The background of this story is that the king of Assyria was sending threatening messages and letters to Hezekiah and his people. Through the prophet Isaiah, God reassured Hezekiah of His faithfulness. However, when this new letter arrived, Hezekiah panicked again and he went   the temple where he spread out the letter before the Lord.

What was happening? I believe it is the same thing that happens to most, if not all of us. We are at church, or in a time of prayer and we hear from God, and we are refreshed, pumped up and ready to be a devil-chaser. 
But then comes tomorrow.
Tomorrow another challenge comes. Another threat. Another worry or problem. And suddenly we are not quite as pumped up as we were yesterday at church!  (Can anybody else relate?) 
The good news is that Hezekiah did turn to the Lord!
Many of us would have begun seeking another source of help, another way out, or another angle to contend with our problem.
I don't know what went on in Hezekiah's mind, but somehow I think that perhaps he felt closer to God if he was in the temple. Maybe he felt as if he laying it at God’s feet or reading through it with the Lord. I've been that way where I just needed to go to the church to pray and seek God. I know I can pray anywhere, but sometimes it just helps me to be at the church.

My point in all this is simply to say that bad stuff happens to God's people. We all have difficult and trying times.  If you are living and breathing, you will come to understand that life on this earth means that we will have trials and suffer loss and pain. We face trouble at work, problems with family, death of loved ones and many face failing health, and all of these are a constant source of anxiety that can test our faith and try our spirits. However I have found that when we seek out a quiet place with Jesus, and lay our problem before Him, the Holy Spirit is able to quiet our spirits, calms our fears and ministers to our souls with His reassurance and peace. As we lay our problems on His altar, He will take charge of them. This is exactly what Peter meant when he said, "Cast all your cares upon him, for he cares for you."

I hope you learn the burden lifting, fear quenching comfort and joy that is found in taking all your cares to the Lord.