When You Don't Know What Else To Do

Have you ever faced periods in your life where nothing you did seemed to go right? Furthermore, when nothing you attempted to do to fix problems went right but things only got worse? What do you do when you don't know what else to do? What if such periods last for a long time?

I know many have tried hard to change your circumstances. You have toiled tirelessly, prayed incessantly and waited patiently but the long sought breakthrough has not come. Instead the trials have mounted insurmountable right before your eyes. Fatigue sets in. Doubts seep into the mind. Courage to keep battling is lost as discouragement takes the high ground in your life.

What do you do when you don't know what else to do? Many quit. They quit on their marriage. They quit on family. They walk away. Some quit on God. They grow weary of the trials and fold up their faith and store it away. Others rebel. They get so angry at God they flee in the opposite direction and give into temptation, which never satisfies but leaves a person just as empty as before.

I'm thinking of an old song. One line in that song replays in my mind this morning. "Anytime I don't know what else to do I will cast all my cares on You." 

When the tempest swirls around you and everything is overwhelming cast all your cares upon Him. When you feel overwhelmed and the trials are beating you down cast all your care upon Him. When anxieties pierce your mind like an ice pick cast all your cares upon Him. When the pain hurts so deep in makes you feel nauseated cast all your cares upon Him. When your heart is shattered into pieces like a jigsaw puzzle cast all your cares upon Him. When your way is blocked and the odds are stacked way against you cast all your cares upon Him. When ominous clouds have obscured the light of hope from you for longer than you can remember cast all your cares upon Him. When grief holds you hostage cast all your cares upon Him. When the flood waters rise and the drought follows on its heels cast all your cares upon Him. When the finances will not stretch to cover the needs cast all your cares upon Him. When the child rebels cast all your cares upon Him. When the marriage spark has faded into barely a smoldering ember cast your cares upon Him. When the ones you trusted the most betray you the deepest cast all your cares upon Him.

1 Peter 5:7 (NASB)
7  casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

That sounds simple. I assure you it is on one hand and isn't on the other hand. First, it is because that is all you have to do. Take your anxieties, burdens, concerns, trials and hurl them at the feet of Jesus. Every single one of them. As many as you have. That is why the first word in that verse is casting. It is to be a continuous action. An intentional decision repeated over and over again. Constantly casting all your cares upon the Lord. Yet, how often do people choose to do just the opposite. They cling to their cares. They examine them, cling to them, dwell on them, hide them, and even get cozy with them. They worry about them, fixate on them, doubt they will ever be free of them and lose hope because of them. That is not casting all your cares upon the Lord. 

To daily cast all your cares upon the Lord is both simple and yet hard to do. We think we can change things by just worrying about them. How many sleepless nights, wasted hours, and endless energy has been devoted to anxiety? It does not change the circumstances. It only produces stress. Needless stress. Let God handle those things. If I have learned one thing in this life it is this, WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL. We think we know what is best and we think everything should work according to our plans. When it doesn't how faith crumbles and anxiety sprouts. 

I get it. Some things are hard to overcome. Some situations have no easy fix. Worrying about them is not going to alter the outcome one bit. The best course of action is to cast those cares upon the Lord and let Him do the heavy lifting. 

To be honest, I just spent the last hour and a half tossing and turning in bed mulling over several things. It finally prompted me to get up. I am not writing out of theory. I am writing out of my own experience. What did I do when I didn't know what else to do? I cast all my cares on the Lord. His peace comforted me. Not one singly care I had has been solved of this moment but I know He is working all things for my good because eI love Him and am called according to His purpose. [Rom 8:28] Now, I'm going back to bed. I hope this helps someone else as it helped me.