Worry is a useless emotion we are all prone to. The Bible tells us in Matthew 6:34, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” We know that God has promised to meet all of our needs, yet instead of leaving all of our cares with Him, we worry and fret about whether or not He will supply.
The truth is our worry is pointless. God tells us not to worry about tomorrow. Our Lord has all of tomorrow’s cares already under control and worked out in the best possible way: the way which will draw us closer to Him. Yet we find it very difficult to refrain from giving in to the temptation to worry.
What is it we think we are accomplishing when we continue to mull over problems in our minds? Do we think that if we fret upon a problem long enough that it will magically disappear? That in times of financial need, our worry will cause God to send a windfall of money from the sky? Logically, we understand that both of these thoughts are ludicrous, but we fail to recognize that so is our penchant to worry. Worry accomplishes nothing. In fact, it is a sign that we do not take God at His word when He promised to take care of the things that we need.
Worry is not a new problem. The disciples also experienced it. In Luke 5:3-9, the Bible says:
3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
This passage provides us with a powerful example of doubt. We must remember that the Lord sees beyond the immediate. As humans, we have the ability to see the past and the present, but we cannot see the future. When Jesus told the disciples to let down their nets, He knew what was going to happen, but the disciples thought they knew better based only on their faulty experience as human beings living in an imperfect world. When we worry and doubt in our circumstances, we are communicating a lack of faith in the One who has promised to provide for our every need. It becomes all too easy for us to think we understand the nuances of our troubles better than God does, and therefore, He may need our assistance sorting out our issues. God doesn’t need our help to resolve pressing matters in our lives. While we were still deep in worry, God was already bringing about the resolution to our problem.
Peter and the disciples learned a valuable lesson that day. Jesus told them to let down their nets, but Peter’s faith was small. As a result, he only let down one net. Peter didn’t really believe that God was going to do what He said He would. Many times, we present this same view of God ourselves through our actions. God has promised to meet our daily needs. Yet often, we pray that the Lord would take care of specific things in our lives yet continue to try to devise a “backup plan” in case God doesn’t follow through with what He said He would. Our lack of faith limits what the Lord wants to do for us and robs us of the enjoyment of His richest blessings.
James 1:6 tells us, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” We must come to God believing that He can and He will supply our needs according to His perfect will. God is faithful to keep His Word; all He asks is that we ask in faith, believing that He will supply.
Are you plagued by worry? Let Anchor of Hope Ministry help you to learn the joy of trusting in the Lord. Contact us now at (306) 940-9554. We welcome the opportunity to help you!
