Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:6–7).
It is said that worry is like a rocking chair — it will give us something to do, but it won’t get us anywhere. And yet we rock away.
When I was younger, I don’t remember worrying about much. That was my parents job, right? And I’m fairly certain that as a parent my worrying has taken on a completely different dimension than ever before. It’s not my daughters’ fault … it’s my wife’s! Just checking to see who’s reading this. At any rate, it’s no one’s fault but my own.
I sometime worry so much to the degree that I worry about my worry. And that’s worrisome. Actually, it’s sinful.
When I worry, I am exercising a lack of trust in the One who can actually do something about my worry! Jesus said — and He didn’t say this as a mere suggestion, but a divine command — “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matt. 6:33–34). James reminds us, “You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14).
William Barclay put it this way: “Worry about the future is wasted effort, and the future of reality is seldom as bad as the future of our fears.” When we worry, we’re not mindful of eternal concerns, but of this world which is passing away (1 John 2:17; also see Matt. 16:21–23; Col. 3:2–3).
“According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:3–5).
When the obstacle of worry is before us, the best position for us to take on it is: hitting our knees in prayer (Eph. 3:14–19).
Lamentations 3:22-25
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him. (ESV)
