“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life . . . Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? . . . Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6: 25, 27, 34
In my first blog post a month and a half ago, I referenced Matthew 6 where Jesus told us to stop worrying about our life because our Father knows what we need even before we ask. The Father values us so highly that He has already provided everything we need. In the span of 9 verses, Jesus tells us 5 times not to worry and that worrying doesn’t get us anywhere. But wait! There’s more. In Philippians 4:6 Paul tells us we shouldn’t be anxious about anything, but to pray. And Peter says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 NIV). There are countless other scriptures that say “do not be afraid,” “fear not,” “don’t let your heart be troubled.” Why is this repeated so much in the Bible? Because the Father knows that worry is exactly what we naturally do when we can’t see a way out of our circumstances.
In the last month and a half I have been on the worry rollercoaster. And let me tell you, it’s a nauseating ride. I don’t see the solution to my situation. I still don’t have a permanent job and the temp job I have at the IRS is ending this Friday. What am I going to do? The last 44 days of my life have been filled with a lot of worry. Have I seen God’s provision? Yes. Do I think He’s going to keep providing? . . . ummm . . . yyyyes? I’m being honest here. I’ve had moments of doubt. Not because I don’t think God can do anything. But because I CAN’T SEE THE ANSWER. There, I said it. It’s all about ME!
But I gotta tell you, God has been trying His hardest to get it through my thick skull that He’s in charge and He knows what He’s doing and He has and is everything I need.
I have a daily devotional entitled Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. In the last two weeks, here are some of the topics covered:
I am training you in steadiness • Peace is my continual gift to you • I love you regardless of how well you are performing • Do not be afraid •Let me control your mind • Listen to me continually • Keep your eyes on me • Rest in the stillness of my presence • Make me your focal point • Welcome problems • Come to me with empty hands and an open heart • Let me teach you thankfulness • When some basic need is lacking, consider yourself blessed.
Do you think He’s
trying to tell me something?
It gets better. On Sunday, Nelson preached a sermon called Be Still and Know, out of Psalm 46. I’ll give you three guesses what that was about! He asked the question: How do you feel when things are going on around you that you can’t control? Our confession of faith should be, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1 NIV).
Then, a couple of days ago I was listening to a message by David Hickey, Senior Pastor at Community Christian Fellowship in Lindale, Texas. The title of the message? Don’t Worry, Pray. There were a lot of nuggets in the message that I’m still chewing on, but the one that stood out to me the most was this: Worry indicates that I’m looking to me to fix the problem; prayer indicates that I’m looking to God.
So when I got up yesterday and began to prepare to write this post, I picked up my devotional. Here’s what it said on May 1st: “You are on the path of My choosing. There is no randomness about your life.”
You can’t make this stuff up.