Are you worried about the future? We are constantly faced with issues, be it our health, finances, relationships, or even ugly politics and who will end up running our country. The Bible is clear that we will face trouble in our lives. The Psalmist correctly stated that our days will be “short and full of trouble”. How we deal with that trouble can be a measure of our faith in God. Some folks deal with trouble via worry. Jesus spoke often of worry. He stated that we should not do it and that it is a useless exercise. He made it clear that worry will not change one thing.
So why worry? It comes natural and as with many things that come “natural”, it comes from below and not above and we must take measures to combat it in our lives especially during trials. If you are stressed out and worried sick, satan has gained a foothold in your life. Make no mistake that worry is a sin. Why? Because it in effect makes a statement that we do not completely trust God. If we have faith as we ought, we would never worry and always trust God implicitly to see us through any crisis and realize that God is in control and everything is going to happen exactly according to His perfect plan and according to His perfect schedule as he ordains. (Remember Abraham and Isaac.)
The reality of the situation is that the foregoing is easier said than done sometimes, especially during major trials. God realizes that and has given us the key to solving the problem in His Bible. Utilizing prayer will “guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ”, (and give us peace), and we should not be hesitant to ask other Christians to join us. The Bible states that the fervent prayer of righteous men can have miraculous results. Get on “prayer warrior’s” prayer request lists at your church and with your Christian brothers and sisters. They will be happy to add you to their lists.
Spend your time praying and do not waste it worrying. We must steadfastly remember who is in control of our lives and our universe and all of creation. It is not us! It is God who, fortunately for us, loves us deeply. The Bible assures us that He knows everything there is to know about us including even the number of hairs on our heads. The Bible states that God knew us before we entered the womb and that He has a specific plan for each of us.
We are to trust Him implicitly, but I would be remiss to omit that we must also do our parts and do what we can do to work our way through any problem using whatever wiles we have at our disposal. God will open doors for us, but we must take some initiative to walk through them and do whatever we can to help our own situation too. (Pray and also work our way through the trial and not worry our way through it.)
All of this means we are not to worry or be anxious about anything. Relax! Things are going to work out exactly according to God’s plan for your life and mine. Be patient and trust in God and have faith that He will do exactly what he has repeatedly promised to do throughout the Bible. When trouble surfaces remember this phrase; “Endure your trial with a smile”.
It is exciting to know that God’s end-game plan for us is to enrich us beyond measure. Not just with material things of limited or no lasting real value, but with peace, rest, joy and continuous eternal personal fellowship with our Creator. Facing a problem? Pray about it, ask others to join you, and do what you can to remedy it, keeping the faith that God will see you through it for now and forever. Rejoice in the Lord, make your requests be known to God and thank Him for all that He is and does. Sit back and relax and leave the heavy lifting to Him Keep the faith my brothers and sisters!
Phil. 4:4
Rejoice in the lord always. Again I say rejoice!
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God,
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
February 9, 2015 – Click here to listen