Up, Up, and Away

Bible Reading: Philippians 4:4-9

“How many balloons are there?” Malachi asked as he and his father walked toward the crowd of people. They were all waiting to see a group of hot air balloons lift off the ground.

“I don’t know,” replied Dad, “but this is a huge event. People come from all over to take part in it.”

Most of the colorful balloons were soon inflated and up in the sky. “Wow!” Malachi said as he watched them floating off. “I bet they’re having fun! I remember the way it felt to float up toward the clouds that time Uncle Carl took me up in his hot air balloon. We couldn’t go very high though. The wind was blowing so hard, Uncle Carl had to keep the balloon anchored to the ground with a rope.”

“Yes, I remember that,” Dad said. He gazed at the balloons floating across the sky. “Do you know what these balloons remind me of?”

“I know. Birds!” Malachi pointed toward a bright red balloon with bold gold letters. “That one’s red like a cardinal.”

“That’s true, and they both fly through the air,” said Dad. “But I was thinking of something very different. They remind me that if we truly give our problems to the Lord, He’ll lift them from us and carry them away.”

“I’ve heard Pastor Fredericks say something like that,” Malachi said. “Does that mean we won’t have problems anymore?”

“No, but it means that if we pray about our problems and trust Jesus to take care of us, we won’t continue to fret and stew and think of nothing else,” explained Dad. “If we don’t really believe He cares for us, we stay attached to our problems—like how you stayed attached to the ground the day you went up in Uncle Carl’s hot air balloon.”

Malachi nodded. “We couldn’t really float away.”

“No, and just like a balloon needs to be released for it to float away, we need to release our fears to God,” said Dad. “Instead of continually worrying and fretting, we need to remember that Jesus has saved us and wants us to trust Him when we feel afraid. When we do that, He’ll give us peace in place of our worries.” – Annette S. Bury

How About You?

Do you have problems that seem too big to handle? Do you wish your worries could just float away? Jesus wants you to give those problems and worries to Him. He knows just how to take care of them. Talk to Him about them and ask Him to show you if there’s anything you can do to help the situation. Then trust Him to work things out. Let Him lift your burdens and carry them for you.

Today’s Key Verse:
1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries to Him because He cares for you. (NLV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Let Jesus lift your burdens