When life gets overwhelming, it can be difficult to feel at peace. But we can hand over all our troubles to God, in exchange for His peace. The Bible says: ‘Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you’ (1 Peter 5:7 NIV). It can be challenging to hand things over to God without taking them back again. We like to feel in control, and handing over our worries means we’re not in control of them anymore. We have to trust God and let Him help us handle the situations rather than trying to do everything ourselves. It’s also important to stop looking at the problems we have, and start looking at the One who can solve them. In Isaiah we’re told: ‘You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.’ We need to keep our minds fixed on our unchanging God, not our changeable circumstances. In the Bible we read about Jesus calming the storm. The disciples were focused on the situation that they were in, rather than trusting the fact that Jesus was on board and could do the seemingly impossible. The Bible says: ‘When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm’ (Mark 4:29 NLT). And He can bring peace and calm to the storms in our lives too. No matter how strong the wind is, or how high the waves are, He can bring peace. We need to pray about all our situations, surrender our need to be in control of everything, and let Him work. Then ‘the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:7 NIV).

What Now?

Take some time to hand over each of your concerns to God. Every time you start thinking about them again, remind yourself to trust in God.