Worry

Most of us worry about something. Whether it’s about our family, our health, the economy, etc. we all have a tendency to be anxious about something. Most of the time, we are “concerned” for good reasons. Other times, the things that people worry about are incredulous and even beyond the outer limits of our thoughts and imagination. Whether our fears are “normal” or abnormal, over they years I’ve heard repeatedly that most of the things that we worry about never happens. I think that it is on this basis that we try and comfort ourselves, as well as others with, “Don’t worry.” I am learning that these words are ineffective and futile.

It would be different if we came equipped with “on” and “off” buttons. We could then turn off worry and turn on happy. But we weren’t built that way. No matter how many times we tell ourselves, “Don’t worry” or “That is illogical and unreasonable,” we cannot turn off worry. Besides, the most inconceivable could happen.

There was a man who lost everything—his possession, his children, and his health. On second thought, he did have one thing left, a nagging wife. After suffering a while, he revealed his heart, “What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me” (Job 3:25).

This snapshot from the life of Job, stops me from saying, “That’s silly! Stop worrying! Everything will be all right.” Because as unreasonable as something may sound, there is a possibility that our worst nightmare could happen.

So, how can we stop worrying? How do we stop our hearts from pounding? How do keep from going out of our minds? How can we put our anxieties to rest? How do we bury our fears?

The bad new is that we can’t. But David knew Who could. David confidently said, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…” Why not? David confesses and declares, “…for You [God] are with me” (Psalms 23:4).

It should be more than a comforting thought that, “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). If it isn’t, we’ve got some work to do, because John says, “…perfect love drives out fear…” (I John 4:18).