I borrowed an idea of a "Trusting God" box from Craig Groeschel the pastor of LifeChurch.tv for my sermon yesterday. Here's how he explains the concept in his book, Confessions of a Pastor.
Find a box (or any other container) and write the words "Trusting God" on it. You might even get wild and call it your "Trusting God" box. Whenever you're worried about something you can't change, write your worry on a piece of paper and put it in the box. Once it's inside the box, it becomes God's property. His responsibility, not yours (it never was). From the moment you give your problem to Him, you're not allowed to worry about it. If you want to worry, then you have to go to the box and physically take the concern away from God. And when you do, you'll visually and physically act out what's really happening inside--you're choosing to stop trusting God.
I made a "Trusting God" box and took it to worship with me. I preached on Matthew 6:25-34 and how we can overcome worry and fear. At the end of the message, the congregation were invited to write down a situation which was causing them to worry or be afraid and to bring it forward and place that situation into the "Trusting God" box which was on the altar before the cross.
The response was amazing. At first people seemed hesitant to come forward, then one or two brave souls brought their worries before the Lord. That's all it took, it was like the floodgates opened and people were pouring out of their seats to put their fears in God's hands. God will Make a Way by Don Moen played in the background as people came forward. Tears filled many eyes as people let go of their burdens and trusted God with them.
Afterward, one individual said to me, "We should do that every month." I think she has a point. We need to devise a way to give people the opportunity to unload their problems and to trust God to take care of them. I'm not sure exactly what that should look like, but it's an idea well worth exploring.
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