Leave It All to Jesus

Calling all prayer warriors! My wife Barbara had a checkup at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota last week. Her lungs looked good. The remaining nodules were shrinking. PTL! Her liver is doing great. PTL! However, The portal vein that is the sole blood vessel taking blood into the liver had a narrowing, restricting the blood flow.

She will return to Mayo Clinic for two procedures. One, they will put in a stint to open up that vein and increase the blood flow. Two, they will biopsy the gray matter around it that is pushing against the vein, causing the narrowing. It could be one of two things: (1) scar tissue, in which case the stint will take care of the problem; or (2) a carcinoma cancer, which would not be operable.

She can't have any more radiation to that area, leaving chemo as the only treatment option. Chemo is only successful in 3 out of 10 people in these cases. Even if she responds positively to the chemo, she would possibly be looking at only three to six months, possibly a little longer. Only God knows for sure.

Pray that it is only scar tissue. God is in control. We trust it all into His hands and seek His divine healing. We leave it all to Jesus. Amen.

That leads us into today's Bible Insight. Peter said, "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" (1 Peter 5:6-7). Likewise, Psalm 55:22 says, "Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved."

To "humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God" (1 Peter 5:6) means to let Him be in control of everything in your life. It means to trust and serve Him no matter what may befall you. Not only do you trust Him fully in the good times, but also in the not so good times. When burdens enter your life, no matter what those burdens are, leave it all to Jesus; trust in His perfect will for you.

That is why Peter continues, "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). The Psalmist agrees wholeheartedly: "Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you" (Psalm 55:22). Old and New Testament alike, we are to leave it all to Jesus!

The Prophet Isaiah states plainly, "For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you'" (Isa. 41:13). The Lord God promises to support you and lift every burden. He promises to see you through every trial. Trust Him in everything. Leave it all to Jesus!

Again, the Psalmist concurs: "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles" (Psalm 34:17). You can count on Jesus. If you belong to Him, if you have trusted Him as your Lord and Savior, you can know that God will always hear your prayers, and He will always listen and answer when you call on Him for help.

To all, Jesus says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30). If you haven't done so already, trust in Jesus. Place your faith in Him and receive Him as your Lord and Savior. He died and rose again for your salvation. He will remove your heavy burden of guilt and hopelessness and give you true rest in Him.

Isaiah 58:6 says, "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?" It is not God's will that you should be crushed down with excessive burdens. He wants to set you free from those burdens. Trust Him completely. Cast all your burdens on Him. Leave it all to Jesus! Let Him free you today. Amen.