Worry is interest paid on trouble before it is due! When you worry, you are basically telling God that you don’t trust Him to meet your needs. You’re saying that you don’t believe He has your best interest in mind or a perfectly-designed plan for your future. You just don’t trust God because your ideas are far greater. That’s what you’re choosing when you choose fear or worry over faith.
Worry is like a rocking chair. It can get you going, but won’t take you anywhere. And what does worry do for you? This is what the Bible tells us about worrying:
Luke 12:25-32, “And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Are you afraid? Does the future concern you? Are you losing sleep at night over decisions you may never have to make? If Jesus is the Lord of your life, then there is no reason to live in fear. Long-term fear can lead to illness, disease and even death. This is not living your life more abundantly. This is not God’s plan for you! Be at peace! Jesus has already overcome the world, the flesh and the devil (John 16:33)! You have nothing to fear.
Psalm 27:1-3, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident.”
Does God want you to worry? Absolutely not! You will never be in a spot where His all-seeing eye cannot find you (Psalm 139:7). His arm is not too short that He cannot reach down and pluck you from the deepest abyss (Isaiah 59:1). His ear is not deaf that He cannot hear your cries. When no one else is there to wipe the tears from your eyes in the middle of the night, He is there. He is the friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).
Let Him know what concerns you most, and leave your baggage at the foot of the Cross. Live life with gusto, sharing the love of Jesus Christ with those around you who need it most. God wants you to live a rich and full life so that you can be an ambassador to the lost. And who is going to want to be like you if your face looks like a reprint of the book of Lamentations?
2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
God’s love for you is immeasurable; it is unconditional and unwavering. Learn to see yourself through His eyes. Learn to love yourself, forgive yourself and move on. Yesterday is over. Tomorrow is just around the corner. Live, love and be happy! Great things are in store for you! There is no reason to worry!
God has already seen tomorrow and His mighty hand is working out the details so that you can rest under the shadow of His outstretched arm. He is ready to fight your battles for you, if you will only call upon His mighty name! God loves you so much that He sent His only Son to die for you (John 3:16). He took your sin, your shame and your pain and left it on Golgotha’s Hill. Stop trying to carry it around. Let it go and move on to a bright tomorrow in Jesus’ name!
1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”
Have you ever noticed that most of the things you worry about never happen? Think about that for a moment. We start thinking about how something might possibly go wrong in the near future and work ourselves into near-panic mode…all for naught. The things we fear most in life generally never happen. And what if they do? God is already there! Let Him do the heavy lifting.
Jehovah Jireh means “God sees.” When Abraham was trudging up Mt. Moriah, ready to sacrifice his son because that is what God had asked of Him . . . with every excruciating step he said, “God sees.” Abraham did not know God’s plan until he was at the very top of the mountain. But God knew his end from the beginning. Abraham obeyed God, and continued up the hill. God sees. God sees. And at the end, God spared Isaac’s life and a ram was sacrificed in his place. Did Abraham know the outcome at the bottom of Mt. Moriah? No. But he trusted God, and his faith was rewarded.
