John 14:1–"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me."
This begins Jesus' final message to His disciples in John, culminating in the High Priestly Prayer (John 17). It comes at the beginning of this long discourse that Jesus, after prophesying His death again, comforts His disciples with this. In this statement, Jesus desires to console His disciples–and us too!–indicating that overcoming trouble and trepidation is not a matter of trying harder or feeling better: it is about believing in God and also in Jesus. Think about this as we prepare for 2014.
Showing posts with label worry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label worry. Show all posts
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Be Still on Days like this...
Today has been one of those days. I did not sleep much at all last night and I woke up ornery. Work was a drag that seemed to never end and the drive home was doubled because of a closed road. Add to that a Minnesota winter that simply does not want to stay away as it is near-blizzard conditions right now. Like I said, it has been one of those days.
And it is times like these, when circumstance seems to pin down my spirit and snuff my fire that this simple phrase comes to mind: "Be still and know that I am God."
When it all feels broken, it seems so right to hear God say: "Don't worry, I got this."
All I can say in response is: AMEN!
And it is times like these, when circumstance seems to pin down my spirit and snuff my fire that this simple phrase comes to mind: "Be still and know that I am God."
When it all feels broken, it seems so right to hear God say: "Don't worry, I got this."
All I can say in response is: AMEN!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Carrying One Stick of Trouble at a Time
John Newton, a sailor and clergyman during the 18th century, has a wonderful analogy of worry and anxiety worth paraphrasing:
All the worries and troubles of an entire year of life are life a giant pile of sticks. And each day, God hands us a single stick to carry for the entirety of the day. At the end of each day we return to God and return the stick to him. The next day, we wake up and God hands us another stick. Each day has its own stick, not more and not less than we can handle. Occasionally, we come to God and we ask him to hand us today's stick and tomorrow's, and by the end of the day we seem tired and beaten but we return again to God to give him back the sticks. And some days, we feel haughty and sure so we ask for a week's worth of sticks. And though God warns us, he hands us the sticks and tells us that he will be there to help us if we can't handle the sticks. We turn to God, smile, and proceed to take from him the sticks, tie them into a wide bundle, throw the bundle over our backs and leave for our day. At first, the bundle seems only annoyingly heavy but as the day bears on, the sticks begin to weigh on us as an ever-growing burden. Thus, by the end of the day, we can barely move and each step feels like a trudge throw the deepest of mired bogs until we finally collapse under the weight of bundle. As we lay there, beaten under the force of our own troubles bundled beyond our ability to care for them, God comes up behind us and picks the overwhelming bundle of sticks off us us with ease and helps us back to our feet.
The point is that, though our natural inclination is to take on today's, tomorrow's, and next week's challenges and worries, God has ordained that we should not take on more than what we can handle, for each day has enough trouble for itself (Matt. 6:34), and we should only attempt to take on that which God has placed before us for the moment. God desires that we, in humility, press into Him to cover and care for our troubles and our worries. Let us then do so with consistency, clinging to Him to preserve us when we would rather pick up the bundle of troubles and to be reminded to carry one stick of trouble at a time.
All the worries and troubles of an entire year of life are life a giant pile of sticks. And each day, God hands us a single stick to carry for the entirety of the day. At the end of each day we return to God and return the stick to him. The next day, we wake up and God hands us another stick. Each day has its own stick, not more and not less than we can handle. Occasionally, we come to God and we ask him to hand us today's stick and tomorrow's, and by the end of the day we seem tired and beaten but we return again to God to give him back the sticks. And some days, we feel haughty and sure so we ask for a week's worth of sticks. And though God warns us, he hands us the sticks and tells us that he will be there to help us if we can't handle the sticks. We turn to God, smile, and proceed to take from him the sticks, tie them into a wide bundle, throw the bundle over our backs and leave for our day. At first, the bundle seems only annoyingly heavy but as the day bears on, the sticks begin to weigh on us as an ever-growing burden. Thus, by the end of the day, we can barely move and each step feels like a trudge throw the deepest of mired bogs until we finally collapse under the weight of bundle. As we lay there, beaten under the force of our own troubles bundled beyond our ability to care for them, God comes up behind us and picks the overwhelming bundle of sticks off us us with ease and helps us back to our feet.
The point is that, though our natural inclination is to take on today's, tomorrow's, and next week's challenges and worries, God has ordained that we should not take on more than what we can handle, for each day has enough trouble for itself (Matt. 6:34), and we should only attempt to take on that which God has placed before us for the moment. God desires that we, in humility, press into Him to cover and care for our troubles and our worries. Let us then do so with consistency, clinging to Him to preserve us when we would rather pick up the bundle of troubles and to be reminded to carry one stick of trouble at a time.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The Pride of Worry
Pride is a grotesquely evil monster that lurks in the depths of our hearts, waiting for moments to leap to the surface of our lives and reveal its wickedness through us. It is vile, both for its lure and its propensity to mask itself behind veil's of confidence or insecurity. As a result, pride has a variety of guises it employs within us to conceal its sinfulness. These guises make pride look like other sins, like greed or vanity, but at the heart it is still but simple pride.
One such facade worn by pride is worry. Worry, or anxiety, can be basically reduced to fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the weight of the circumstance, or a general uneasiness with the state of affairs are all examples of worry but they all stem from the same, somewhat complex principal: a feeling that we are not totally in control of the situation, however, if we were in control, if we had the necessary power to handle the present context, we would be able to make everything okay.
Needless to say, this proposition is a fallacy and is untrue for several reasons. The first is the fallacy of control. No human has control over anything but whether they will have faith in God or not. To choose to believe God or not is the grand extent of our control. Any feeling that humans have control beyond this is simply false.
The second issue deals with power. Because every morsel of our power and strength is derived and given from God, to wish for the power to handle the situation means that we believe that the One who currently has the power, i.e. God, is either not qualified for the job or simply incompetent to handle the situation. Quickly the prideful root of worry comes to the surface once the veneer is wiped away.
Additionally, worry's prideful head rears itself in two opposing but equally sinful ways. These two ways can be summarized by the two reasons people worry, void of whether they know it or not: people either worry that their issues are far too small for God to care about, or the inverse, they think their issues are far too big for God to be able to handle. The latter reeks of unbelief and pride, while the former smacks of a small faith and false humility.
There are many Scriptures to note in this discussion, perhaps the chief among them being Matthew 6:25-34 and 1 Peter 5:6-7. In both cases, the exhortation is clear: cast your fears and worries upon the Lord, who both desires to care for us and is capable to do it. Relying on God, wholly depending on Him in faith can overcome any worry and anxiety we could have, and should be how we deal with worry.
Again, remember that the root of worry is pride, so the inverse of worry must be humility, the essence of worship. The conclusion must be, then, that worship triumphs over worry. Worry should prompt worship so that pride's slithery head is sliced off like the lurking serpent it is. Let us refuse to be prideful in anxiety or worry and strive to worship God!
One such facade worn by pride is worry. Worry, or anxiety, can be basically reduced to fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the weight of the circumstance, or a general uneasiness with the state of affairs are all examples of worry but they all stem from the same, somewhat complex principal: a feeling that we are not totally in control of the situation, however, if we were in control, if we had the necessary power to handle the present context, we would be able to make everything okay.
Needless to say, this proposition is a fallacy and is untrue for several reasons. The first is the fallacy of control. No human has control over anything but whether they will have faith in God or not. To choose to believe God or not is the grand extent of our control. Any feeling that humans have control beyond this is simply false.
The second issue deals with power. Because every morsel of our power and strength is derived and given from God, to wish for the power to handle the situation means that we believe that the One who currently has the power, i.e. God, is either not qualified for the job or simply incompetent to handle the situation. Quickly the prideful root of worry comes to the surface once the veneer is wiped away.
Additionally, worry's prideful head rears itself in two opposing but equally sinful ways. These two ways can be summarized by the two reasons people worry, void of whether they know it or not: people either worry that their issues are far too small for God to care about, or the inverse, they think their issues are far too big for God to be able to handle. The latter reeks of unbelief and pride, while the former smacks of a small faith and false humility.
There are many Scriptures to note in this discussion, perhaps the chief among them being Matthew 6:25-34 and 1 Peter 5:6-7. In both cases, the exhortation is clear: cast your fears and worries upon the Lord, who both desires to care for us and is capable to do it. Relying on God, wholly depending on Him in faith can overcome any worry and anxiety we could have, and should be how we deal with worry.
Again, remember that the root of worry is pride, so the inverse of worry must be humility, the essence of worship. The conclusion must be, then, that worship triumphs over worry. Worry should prompt worship so that pride's slithery head is sliced off like the lurking serpent it is. Let us refuse to be prideful in anxiety or worry and strive to worship God!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Security Sown
A sense of security is huge in a world so restless and unsure. There are countless counterfeit sources of security that vie for our trust: money, houses, military might, people, substances, the list goes on. In reality though, any source of security that is not found in the Lord is faulty and will inevitably fall short of providing true security. In order to overcome deficient sources of security, we need to overcome defective understandings of security.
Security, the state of being secure, is measured in two basic ways. First is the measurement of provision, meaning that security is based on either the ability to garner provision or in the capacity to store provision. This is one of the reasons wealth and prosperity can give people a sense of false security. The security of wealth is false because wealth is fickle and timely. Wealth has a shelf life that extinguishes at death.
God, on the other hand, is the ultimate provider. He provides amply and sufficiently for our corporeal needs (6:19-34). We have no need to want or be anxious for our security is measured in the infinite nature of God. He provides not only for our bodily needs but our spiritual needs as well. This means the Lord that provides provides eternal provisions that see their fruition after the breaking of this mortal coil. This is good news.
The second measurement of security is in its protection from fear. To feel secure is, in essence, to feel no need to be afraid. Again, it can be seen why military forces are referred to by this measurement of security. The irony is that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God, the supreme source of security. Thus our security comes from acknowledging the Lord for who He is. Nothing and no one is more powerful than the omnipotent Holy Lord. Therefore, nothing should ever cause believers to fear because of the sheer power of true security's source.
Lastly, nothing can separate us from the Lord once we are His (Rom. 8:38-39). And He cares for and secures those that remain in Him (Deut. 33:12; Jer. 29:11). Because of this, believers should have no reason to fear no matter the circumstances (Psa. 16:5-8, 23:1-4; Heb. 13:6). Therefore, let us make sure our security in the Lord and in this way be made truly secure. God desires to be our sole source of security. We should then press into the Lord to be our security!
Security, the state of being secure, is measured in two basic ways. First is the measurement of provision, meaning that security is based on either the ability to garner provision or in the capacity to store provision. This is one of the reasons wealth and prosperity can give people a sense of false security. The security of wealth is false because wealth is fickle and timely. Wealth has a shelf life that extinguishes at death.
God, on the other hand, is the ultimate provider. He provides amply and sufficiently for our corporeal needs (6:19-34). We have no need to want or be anxious for our security is measured in the infinite nature of God. He provides not only for our bodily needs but our spiritual needs as well. This means the Lord that provides provides eternal provisions that see their fruition after the breaking of this mortal coil. This is good news.
The second measurement of security is in its protection from fear. To feel secure is, in essence, to feel no need to be afraid. Again, it can be seen why military forces are referred to by this measurement of security. The irony is that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God, the supreme source of security. Thus our security comes from acknowledging the Lord for who He is. Nothing and no one is more powerful than the omnipotent Holy Lord. Therefore, nothing should ever cause believers to fear because of the sheer power of true security's source.
Lastly, nothing can separate us from the Lord once we are His (Rom. 8:38-39). And He cares for and secures those that remain in Him (Deut. 33:12; Jer. 29:11). Because of this, believers should have no reason to fear no matter the circumstances (Psa. 16:5-8, 23:1-4; Heb. 13:6). Therefore, let us make sure our security in the Lord and in this way be made truly secure. God desires to be our sole source of security. We should then press into the Lord to be our security!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
No Worth to Worry
Anxiety is a killer. It, like a snake, slithers into the back of our minds wearing the mask of preparation and security, settles into our hearts under the guise of concern, and ultimately fixes itself in our souls as doubt in God's provision and providence. Worry destroys our ability to have faith because when we worry we are not relying on the Lord.
Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), uses a vivid word picture to describe the uselessness of anxiety and worry. Jesus points to the lilies of the field that neither labor nor spin but are clothed in more splendor than Solomon ever was. Or the birds of the field, they neither reap nor sow nor store in barns yet the Father in heaven feeds them.
Jesus' point is summed up in two verses: "who by worrying can add a single hour to his life (Matt. 6:27)"; and, "do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Every day has its own troubles (Matt. 6:34)." Jesus wants to make it clear that worrying serves no Kingdom purpose but is a distraction from Kingdom work.
Worry and anxiety are real. Our world is inundated with prescriptions, procedures, and methods for dealing with the unsettling panic of worry. These will inevitably fail because we are trying to treat symptoms and not the deeper issue, which is doubt. Doubt. God is the provider of our every deepest desire. He wants to do this, He longs to provide for us.
When we find ourselves worrying or anxious, these are symptoms of a much deeper longing for God's provision and security in our lives. He is to be our provider as we are faithful and steadfast to rely on Him to provide. Therefore, worry is a sign that we are not secure in our faithfulness but we are shaky and doubtful that God holds all things in His mighty hands.
Both Paul and Peter are clear that Christians should not worry but in prayer and devotion cast their anxieties on the Lord who is sure to provide and secure His children (Phil. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:7). The Lord is the source of our comfort and security. Ultimately, we should rely on God to provide. He is the one who is to get the glory for our lives. Let us then not worry about how things will come about but let us trust that the Lord who loves us perfectly will care for us, our deepest needs and desires!
Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), uses a vivid word picture to describe the uselessness of anxiety and worry. Jesus points to the lilies of the field that neither labor nor spin but are clothed in more splendor than Solomon ever was. Or the birds of the field, they neither reap nor sow nor store in barns yet the Father in heaven feeds them.
Jesus' point is summed up in two verses: "who by worrying can add a single hour to his life (Matt. 6:27)"; and, "do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Every day has its own troubles (Matt. 6:34)." Jesus wants to make it clear that worrying serves no Kingdom purpose but is a distraction from Kingdom work.
Worry and anxiety are real. Our world is inundated with prescriptions, procedures, and methods for dealing with the unsettling panic of worry. These will inevitably fail because we are trying to treat symptoms and not the deeper issue, which is doubt. Doubt. God is the provider of our every deepest desire. He wants to do this, He longs to provide for us.
When we find ourselves worrying or anxious, these are symptoms of a much deeper longing for God's provision and security in our lives. He is to be our provider as we are faithful and steadfast to rely on Him to provide. Therefore, worry is a sign that we are not secure in our faithfulness but we are shaky and doubtful that God holds all things in His mighty hands.
Both Paul and Peter are clear that Christians should not worry but in prayer and devotion cast their anxieties on the Lord who is sure to provide and secure His children (Phil. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:7). The Lord is the source of our comfort and security. Ultimately, we should rely on God to provide. He is the one who is to get the glory for our lives. Let us then not worry about how things will come about but let us trust that the Lord who loves us perfectly will care for us, our deepest needs and desires!
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