I wonder how these same palms I lift in praise can grip so tightly to a thousand concerns.
Tears laced with fear mark my face as I concede once again to overthinking and angst—habits I’ve grown all too casual with.
Soon I’m believing the misguided notion that the clutching of my cares somehow secures the well-being of my world.
Long have I held my concerns close, because sometimes letting go feels like giving up, and often I confuse the restless management of life with perseverance.
Recently I spilled my heart before God, longing to know a life where I released my attempts to manage and maintain, and grasped instead the relief of trusting God.
As I searched for guidance, time and again the Lord returned me to this passage penned by the prophet Jeremiah: “Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.” (Jeremiah 17:7, NLT)
I pondered those familiar words: trust, hope, confidence…trying to remove them from my Sunday School vernacular; willing them to become foreign to my vocabulary so they might become alive again to my understanding.
In that moment, I realized how often I’ve relegated the powerful sentiments of hope and confident trust in God to a backup plan.
From youth the Lord has had my heart, yet I haven’t always lived like He’s my source. Everything I cling to apart from Him is misplaced confidence in myself rather than in my God.
Oh, friend, amidst the daily bustle of life, it can be easy to unintentionally place our hope in lesser things. Life is busy and full, and often our automatic response is to restlessly focus on our spheres of care, forgetting that our continual concern is powerless to provide hope to our circumstances.
Yet, Jeremiah goes on to reassure us that those who trust in the Lord are…“Like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:8, NLT)
Friend, when we place our trust in God, He doesn’t just tend to our cares, He tends to our spirits, as well. Even when the heat of our circumstances bears down; when it feels like months of drought separate our concerns from their solutions—we’re able to flourish, refreshed by the depths of the Lord’s supply.
Oh, the freedom of releasing the crumpled contents of our palms into the Lord’s safekeeping, for the God of our lives can be trusted with the cares of our lives.
Dear friend, your hands weren’t made to carry the absolute success, safety and stability of your world. Come to the wellspring of relief, the quiet ground of surrender. Meet God in the hushed pause of this moment; gently unfold your palms and release your cares to Him.
Rest in the quiet calm of a life of trust, for your every care is safely held in the mighty hand of God, who is able to do abundantly more than you can ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) 
What cares are you gripping today, friend?
When you sense yourself holding on, take a moment to lift open palms to heaven and surrender your concerns to the Lord’s safekeeping.
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at Proverbs 31 Ministries, friend! ♥
Thank you so much for this today! I found you by way of your Proverbs 31 post. This very thing is what the Lord has been speaking to my heart in so many words. Thank you for encapsulating the struggle so well! I look forward to hearing your heart in the future…keep being real; it’s so beautiful!
Lovely to meet you, Melanie. =) Thank you for sharing today; it warms my heart to hear how the Lord met you in the devotion. Will pray for you, friend. It’s an ongoing process,isn’t it?! Keep opening your palms and releasing your cares to the One who is forever able. Bless you, sister. 💗
I’m finding this a year after it was posted, but oh so fitting for me today ~ Thank you so very much. Your perspective is so appreciated 🌼
Bless you, Carolyn. So thankful the words God inspires are forever timely. Praying for you today, dear sister. 💗