Is something troubling you?
Leave it in God’s hands.
Then go on about your day. Whatever the next thing is, whether that’s sleep or writing an email or making dinner, go do that. Definitely do not, while you are doing Next Thing, lose focus because you are absorbed in thinking through what you left in God’s hands. Please pay attention to the oven. You are burning your dinner. Do not send that email. There’s an awful typo.
Keep going on about your day. Do not, by any means, pause frequently throughout to think through—just one more time, to be sure you aren’t missing anything—about what you left in God’s hands. Do not use “pray without ceasing” as an excuse to pray repeatedly in a loop about the thing you left in God’s hands just to make sure God really knows exactly what outcome would be best here in case He isn’t listening or wasn’t paying attention.
Do not use phone calls and texts and emails to friends, relatives, and distance strangers as an opportunity to talk about whatever you left in God’s hands ad infinitum, just in case He wants to speak through them, or something, since they’re right there. They are trying to tell you to please stop talking. They are begging you to leave this in God’s hands.
While driving, do not engage in visions, daydreams, or planning for various outcomes or results of whatever you left in God’s hands. Do not run the stoplight. Do not, while driving, utter aloud to God, “About that thing I left in your hands, I just wanted to make sure—”
Do not exhaust your resources asking everyone around you if you should have done something else before leaving it in God’s hands.
Do not flip frantically through Scripture waiting for God to provide you a verse that will reassure you that you made the right choice by leaving it in His hands.
Do not ask God if He wants to review the possibilities one more time.
Do not burst into tears and then wonder where they came from, and what you are so sad about, when you are exhausted from a day of leaving things in God’s hands. Do not snap at your husband, children, or parents that you’re just a little stressed, okay from leaving it in God’s hands.
Do not stare at the ceiling in bed at night, wondering if you made the right decision leaving it in God’s hands.
Do close your eyes in the middle of the swirling maelstrom.
Do spare five seconds to put aside thoughts of the thing you left in God’s hands.
Do say this:
I sometimes forget who you are. Help me remember.
My desire for control is greater than my desire for you. Help destroy that desire.
I believe. Help my unbelief.
I don’t want to do this again. I will probably do this again.
Thank you for loving me anyway.
Samaritan's Song 