My Father's Care

“Dad, I need you to pray for me.”

“What do you want me to pray for?”

“I can’t tell you.”

I had a very serious situation in my life that I couldn’t stop worrying about. It was causing me so much anxiety that I couldn’t sleep at night. I knew if I told my dad, it would upset him also.

“The Lord knows all the details,” I assured him. “I just want you to pray for something very important. Call it my special intention.”

When we said goodbye, I hung up the telephone and spoke out loud to the Lord, “That’s it! I’m not going to worry about this one more minute. I gave it to my dad. Let him worry about it!”

Sometime the next week I called home to say hello.

“Well, did you get your wish?” my dad wanted to know. He sounded anxious.

“What wish? What do you mean?” I had no idea what he was talking about.

“Last week when you called, you asked me to pray for a special intention – something very important.”

“What was it?” I asked, searching my memory bank, straining to recall our last conversation.

“I don’t know! You wouldn’t tell me! But I’ve been praying about it every night and I just wondered if you got it.”

I quickly turned the mouthpiece of the telephone away from my mouth so my dad wouldn’t hear me laugh as bits and pieces of our last conversation flashed through my mind. As I remembered asking him to pray for something that was causing me great anxiety, it dawned on me that I really had let go of whatever it was. I had not thought about it again. Whatever it was must have worked out; I couldn’t remember.

Finally I said, “Dad, I have peace about it, but keep on praying.”

This time when we hung up, I felt like the Lord was standing in my kitchen laughing along with me.

“You got me,” I admitted out loud. “I can’t remember why I was so worried.”

Words formed in my heart, “See why I tell you not to worry? Your special intention had you so worried just a few days ago that you couldn’t sleep. Today, you can’t even remember what it was.”

“What was it?” I really wanted to know. I knew that it had been something big and serious.

“Don’t you worry about what it was,” the Lord seemed to speak to my heart. “See how you trust your dad? See how you have faith that he will take care of whatever you ask him? You give him your concern and then you let go. You never think of it again. That’s how I want you to trust Me.”

I remembered Jesus teaching, “So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil” (Matthew 6:31-34, NAB).

It’s easy to say, “Don’t worry.” But how is that possible? How do we let go of fear and anxiety?

Scripture tells us how: “Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:2).

I’ve had a lot of practice casting my cares on Him. When I was a young, single mom of three small children, it began as a daily discipline that carried me through some very difficult years. Every morning I got up and began my day with my Father in Heaven.

I had three things:

1) My quiet place. Usually the living room couch or a lawn chair out on the driveway – the place with the least distractions. “Rising very early before dawn He (Jesus) left and went off to a deserted place where He prayed” (Mark 1:35).
2) My Bible. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and training in holiness so that the man of God may be fully competent and equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16).
3) My journal. Keeping a journal helped me focus. It also helped me remember my prayer requests and the Scriptures and direction the Lord gave during those quiet times. “Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets so that one can read it readily” (Habakkuk 2:3).

I began each entry with “Father, I come in Jesus’ name. I need You.” Then I asked Jesus and the Holy Spirit to be with us. Next, I began thanking Him for all of His blessings and help. I listed everything he had done the day before. I wrote in detail so I wouldn’t forget how He hears every prayer and watches over us so closely. After that, I listed all of my cares and concerns for the day; again, in detail. All prayers are not answered right away so I continued to list them until they were.

I prayed for my children and their friends, calling each by name. On the bottom line, I always wrote, “Father I ask you to order my day to Your good pleasure.”

It was only after I had put everything on paper that I was able to let it go and let the peace of God settle over me. I knew that whatever interruption or circumstance I encountered that day had been allowed or arranged by the One who loves me unconditionally.

Then I opened my Bible and read until God spoke to me through His Word. It was through this quiet time of writing and reading the Scriptures that I experienced the friendship of God and learned of His goodness, faithfulness, and power. Nothing is too difficult for Him.

The interesting thing is that now, almost 40 years later, this discipline has become a way of life for me. I still have the same routine at the beginning of each day. I have learned how worry and fear can creep back into my life if I don’t take the time to talk to my heavenly Father and cast all my cares on Him.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-6).