"When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul." (Psalm 94:19).
God is Father to every believer in Christ. As "Abba, Father," He loves to hear His people. He never tires of our concerns. He invites us to cast all our care upon Him, for He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). He knows we are weak, from the dust, so our desperation is no surprise to Him. He is ready, always, to console His overwhelmed children.
I have learned this in the Scripture, but also in life. The first place I learned this was around the little lake my bible college was centered around. There's a walking path on the waterfront. If it hadn't already been paved, my feet would've marked a trail. On many nights and mornings, I found God out there. Concerns, the cares of my heart, would overwhelm me. Then, to the lake I would go. God listened. He would, by His Spirit with His word, console and cheer my soul.
I have always been a man who is easily overwhelmed. The psalmist said when the cares of his heart were many, but my heart's cares always seem to be many.
And it's not because I have a hard life. It's merely the mind I've got. The cares accumulate. The thoughts are many. I can distress myself with a mere thought. So it has been a great aid to run to God. Casting all my random cares on Him has brought life and comfort to my soul.
My habit has been to talk to God about my worries. Simply talking to Him about the cares is often the comfort I need. In the shadow of the Almighty, my concerns become small. Compared to His greatness, my stresses are tiny. He is infinite, and my problems are finite. His presence comforts and encourages my heart.
So I love the testimony of the psalmist: "When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul." My Father God has done the same for me, and countless other of His children.
