When all is going well, I don’t usually get anxious except perhaps when I am due for my next PSA test or scan. Faced with upcoming medical decisions and testing, I confess that in the past I have had a bad habit of anticipating the worst scenario because then the final outcome can only be an improvement. I know that has been a very negative and distrusting way of thinking. Worry often creeps into all of our lives seemingly without warning. However, over the last 23 years, I have learned to release these events and results to God. So the following might be a good word for all of us.
When we worry we are focused on possibilities that have not yet happened or are beyond our control. In the weakness of our fears, we can be comforted knowing nothing comes into our lives apart from God’s knowledge. It’s an opportunity to accept His offer to be our strength and hope regardless of what happens.
I know it can sound like a cliche but remember God is in charge. Nothing happens beyond the knowledge and control of God. When we worry, we are actually acknowledging the truth that in ourselves we are not adequate to meet the demands of life. This is our moment to remind ourselves of some important truths about God. He is everywhere. “Can a man hide himself so I do not see Him, and do I not fill the heavens and the earth declares the Lord?” (Jeremiah 23:23-4). He knows everything. “The Lord looks from heaven and sees all the sons of men” (Psalm 33:13). He is all-powerful. “Jesus said ‘with men this is impossible but with God all things are possible.'”(Matthew 19:26).
Believe He can carry our burdens. But how do we place our cares on the shoulders of God? The answer lies in what we are trusting – in our feelings or in the character of our all-powerful, trustworthy God. “Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” (Psalm 55:22).
Admit He is greater than our fears. In Psalm 31, David wrote of being forsaken by his friends and attacked by his enemies. Yet he could say in verse 15 “my times are in Your hand”. David knew God’s goodness and love from experience.
Trust He can sustain us. Advertisements for most things from investments to medicinals all come with disclaimers. Some ads on TV and radio recite disclaimers so fast their words are intelligible. In this broken world we have no guarantees except that God and His Word can be trusted. He wants us to draw on the depths of His love and grace.
Count on Him to never forsake us. If we are God’s children, we are never apart from our Father’s care. “He Himself has said ‘I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5).
If you cannot personally relate to these truths and principles, you can have a personal relationship with the God who stands behind them. See the following link.
The above was adapted from the Our Daily Bread monthly devotional series, August, 2018.