Are you a Worry Wart?

He prays diligently about everything, asking God to supply his every need. He prays it and claims it, yet, with his next thought, he worries about his future and if God will continue to provide for him and his family.  “Will I get that promotion I worked so hard for?” “Will I lose my job?” “Will my savings survive this economy?” How am I going to make the mortgage payment next month?”

She reads the Bible every morning and every night.  Her bookshelves are overflowing with “how to” books on living a victorious life.  She believes wholeheartedly that God is her help and her strength yet she worries.  “That pain in my ____, when will I ever get better?”  “Will I ever get married?” “Will my husband ever change his ways?” “How can I get my children to make the right choices?”—and the list of worries goes on.

Sounds familiar?

We all have well founded concerns and we all experience some fear of the unknown. This feeling is a natural part of the human condition however harping on these concerns so that they become worrisome is a waste of energy and an unnecessary drag on our spirits.  Believing in the promises of God means that we should meditate on them and internalize them so that they become what we think, what we say and how we approach our life.

Matthew 6:25-27: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”

While some of us know the Word of God and believe it, we tend to not let it take root in our hearts and minds so that it transforms our life. We may believe God’s word but do we trust it enough to surrender full control to Him so that we avoid fretting over the countless details of our life? This is why when life throws us a curveball or hands us lemons, we worry.  We may pray but we still find ourselves worrying.

Proverbs 16:20: “Blessed is He that trusts in the Lord”

Trust and worry are like oil and water—they do not mix.  Making a decision to trust God means letting go of the things that we worry about and letting God take full control.  God loves us and our concerns, big or small, are His concerns.

As we ponder on the numerous promises of God, we should allow them to transform our hearts and our minds. When we do this, we will find ourselves trusting God more and worrying less. Joyce Meyer has a funny saying but it really captures how we should go about our lives. To summarize, she says–we may not know everything but we know the One that knows and that’s all we need to know!

Philippians 4:6-7:  do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.