Worry…

When on a journey through any valley you can be beset with fear and worry. Even on the highest mountain tops we can find things to worry about! So it’s no shock to anyone when worry opens the door of our heart and calls us out to see all the possible problems we may face. Worry’s voice can be alluring. It has a way of finding every crack in your faith, every hole in your plans. It calls us to see every possible obstacle we face, making each step we take seem uncertain and precarious.  Because of this our problems become immovable. Mountains that could not possibly be conquered. I specifically have a few worried thoughts that keep recurring in my mind recently. All revolving around the future and what it brings. Specifically how horribly inadequate I feel to face these “mountains,” making me feel like they could never possibly be moved. The last few weeks particularly it seems like they have been set to rewind and play over and over in my mind. The problem with worry is that it focuses you on the problem, and unfortunately, what seems like all the reasons you couldn’t possibly be successful through the problem you face. But I was reminded last week of a specific truth that has given me courage. That truth being this:

God gives us exactly what we need to deal with the trials and struggles of today. He has not finished preparing me for tomorrow and the struggles it will bring. So instead of worrying about tomorrow and all that it will bring, I can rest easy in the fact that God is still preparing me. He is strengthening me, shaping me. All with the very specific purpose of preparing me for what I can not yet see!

God knows what is coming. “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. ” (Psalm 139:16) He has created me and knows me perfectly and because of this He can also prepare me perfectly for what is to come! God’s perspective is not limited as mine is, He knows exactly what is ahead of me. This brings to mind the end of Matthew 6.

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34)

What a perfect verse to describe this truth. I can spend my whole day worrying about what is to come. It is so easy to do! There are so many what if’s and maybe’s that my thought life can be consumed. The reality, however, is that God has not finished preparing me for tomorrow! This is one of the reasons I believe He calls us not to worry. Because He isn’t finished preparing us yet!

I may feel like I could not possibly be strong enough for a particular trial or struggle I see coming. And the truth is that I may not be strong enough today….but that does not mean I won’t be strong enough when that struggle arrives. You see, God is faithfully preparing my heart. He is in the process, each and every day, of transforming me to be more like His Son. I wish that this happened instantaneously, but alas, it is a slow and sometimes grimy process. It happens through seeking God and wrestling with Him. Laying your concerns at His feet and seeking to know ultimate God spoken truth, not just what I think to be true. We have to get all the junk out of our hearts before God can make us more like his perfect Son. Excavation must take place before a foundation of truth can be laid firmly. And because God is gracious He knows we couldn’t possibly handle all that transformation all at once. He takes it slowly, calling out the sin and brokenness, and replacing it with the beauty of His truth. This takes time and is in fact, the process by which He is preparing us for all that is to come our way! So when worry knocks on my door and forces its way into my home, relationships, and even my mind- God has shaped my heart in such a way I will be prepared to deal with that struggle. He has illuminated the truth I need to fight valiantly against my enemy, and have victory over this particular trial!

Now God doesn’t just say knock of that worrying! My response to that would be- “How in the world should I do that God?” He instead, gives us the “how” in Matthew 6 as well.

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

If we desire to stop worrying and live our lives with confidence, we now know how. Seek God first. Seek his Kingdom and His righteousness. Simply- Put God first, not your worry. Seek to know God. Spend time with Him! Get to know Him in a personal way! Build on the foundation God has laid in your life. We need to understand what God says is true in order to fight against the lies of the enemy. They are the lies that are so often used to encourage our hearts to worry and push us toward self-reliance instead of God reliance. When we can identify these lies, call them out for what they are, and speak truth into our situation; God is given the power to move mightily! And who would we want moving in our lives more than the all powerful, all loving God of the Universe! When we give our lives and our circumstances to Him we then will have the strength to live today and not worry about tomorrow.

God is in the transformation business, and that business has a purpose! He loves us enough to help transform our hearts, so when worry and trials come our way, and they certainty will come, we aren’t completely broken by them! The wave will no longer crash on us and tear us to pieces. Instead, when our house is built on “the Rock”, the wave will crash on us and because of God’s strength leave us intact. A few shingles may be loose, but we will be left standing, our foundation left unshaken. God has been faithful to prepare us for what we are dealing with today….So don’t worry about tomorrow, you aren’t ready for that yet. But never fear, because God is working in you constantly, with the great purpose of preparing you for tomorrow! So that you might shine His glory and love through anything that comes your way! Never forget, He gives us just enough grace for today….