“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Matthew 6v34 NLT
How much of our lives are wasted by worrying?
Too much!
I admit that I am a worrier. I worry about my family, my house, my job, the weather, what’s going on in the world, etc. The list could go on and on and on. It’s only recently that I’ve begun to realise that worry could be seen as a sinful character trait that many Christians have and seem to spend their lives perfecting! If I could be paid for worrying, I’d be a millionaire by now!
But Jesus gave us the command not to worry. That does not mean that we don’t see the seriousness of a situation, or the potential risks ahead. It does not mean that we cast caution aside and just plunge ahead into things without giving much thought and prayer to what we are doing. Learning to stop worrying is not a case of becoming optimistic instead of pessimistic, or developing a mind over matter approach to difficult circumstances. The antidote to a life of worrying is to develop a life of logical trust.
Trust must be based on logical conclusions that are based on accurate information. My hubby enjoys wall climbing and he is teaching me how to do it. I’m not very athletic or very strong, and I am not someone who likes risks of any kind, so this is a huge learning curve for me! The first lesson is learning how to put on a harness correctly so that you can be safely attached to a rope. The second lesson is learning to trust the rope. The third is learning to trust the one holding the rope! Good, well made and inspected equipment and experienced wall climbers makes for a safe and enjoyable climb.
When we become Christians by being born again by the work of the Holy Spirit, we are starting out on a whole new life that requires a whole new set of skills. One of the skills that we need to combat worry is trust in the Word of God and the Character of God.
The Word of God is like the harness I put on. I step into the harness, and it comes up around my waist and tightens round my legs. It gives me freedom of movement while keeping me safely attached to the rope. To trust God, we have to abide by what the Bible says. There is freedom of life contained within the Word, but we’ve got to live within it. There are so many resources available today to check the accuracy of the Scriptures in regard to history and science. It is not a blind faith in an ancient set of writings, but a faith that is based on evidence that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do.
Before you start to climb you need to make sure your rope is not frayed or damaged in any way and that the person who is holding the rope knows what they are doing. This reminds me of the faithfulness of God’s character. God has promised that he will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He has promised to supply all we need for life and godly living (2Peter 1:3). He has promised us an eternal home (John 14:3). There are hundreds of Christian biographies that tell the life story of great heroes of the faith, and their lives can encourage us to put our trust in the One who will never let us go.
The more we learn about God, His character and His ways the more we will realise that trust is the most logical thing to do when worries try to drive out our faith and rob us of our God given joy. God has not promised us an easy life. Wall climbing is hard. It uses every major group of muscles. It requires careful planning and loads of practise, but the goal of reaching the top is what keeps you going. Our life of faith is like that too. It will stretch us and strain us and at times exhaust us, but the purpose is always to get to the top, to reach the ultimate purpose for our lives. “I press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14
