December 11, 2025 Devo

Where do you take YOUR troubles? Some of us take our troubles to our homes. We snap at our spouse, yell at our kids, and kick the dog. Some of us take our troubles to our jobs. We roll our eyes at our boss, get snippy with our co-workers, or sulk in our offices. Others of us take our troubles to the bar. We drink to forget. But we don’t forget. We just get a hangover to go with our troubles.
Still others of us take our troubles to the refrigerator. We try to eat our troubles away. But no matter how much ice cream, cookies, or potato chips we put down, our troubles are still there. And we’ve added a nice dose of shame to go with the troubles. Others of us take what we think is a healthier route. We take our troubles to the gym. But what I’ve discovered is that while the Stairmaster can help burn off some energy, when I’m done, it’s still just me and my troubles.
The psalmist gives us a much better model. “I took my troubles to the Lord.” What a novel idea! Why not take our troubles to someone who can actually help?! God knows all about our troubles. God can give us wisdom to think properly about our troubles. God can give us the strength to push through our troubles. God can even lift those troubles right off our hearts and give us peace instead. Even if He doesn’t, God is willing to walk with us during our troubles, so we don’t have to deal with them all alone. Paul picked up on this idea in Philippians when he wrote, “Don’t worry about anything, but instead, pray about everything.” Paul knew what he was talking about. He wrote those words from JAIL!
So let me ask you again. Where are you taking YOUR troubles? Don’t take them home. Your family deserves better. Don’t take them to work. That just makes you look like a jerk. Don’t take them to the bar, or the fridge, or even to the gym. Take them to God. God knows about your troubles, and He cares about you. Cry out to Him, and He will hear you and answer you. It’s time to stop taking your troubles around with you. Give your troubles to God so He can give His peace to you. That’s God’s Word for you today.