When life is changing and all of a sudden you see a chance for what has been comfortable to you for years become uncomfortable you tend to get nervous. Your heart starts to race, your head is going a million miles an hour because you are uncertain of things to come. How will it affect you? How will it affect your family? Your lifestyle? Your ability to just function in the daily things you have to do? This is when it’s time for some overtime on our knees.
To begin with… God says not to be anxious or nervous. By feeding these emotions we are not trusting in Him.
Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Instead we are to lean on Him for understanding even through times when you can’t possibly understand how it’s going to work… HE will make it work. David speaks in Psalms about trusting in the Lord.
Psalm 33:21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
Psalm 32:10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.
Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
Psalm 22:8 “He trusts in the LORD,” they say, “let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”
God also gives strict instructions to not worry. Scripture talks about God providing for His birds and animals… we are so much more than an animal – therefore, why would we ever think He wouldn’t provide for us? As people – we have a tendency to try to provide for ourselves, thinking we always have it figured out. But it never works out perfectly as we plan. Instead a wrench is always thrown into the plans which makes us feel like our world is going to end tomorrow. This places stress on us that interferes with relationships such as spouses or children, it causes us to change our focus on what is REALLY important to what WE THINK is important, and numerous others side effects.
Matthew 6: Do Not Worry (NIV Version)
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
The point of this? Don’t worry about what is going to happen in the future. As long as you know in your heart you are doing all you can to please the Lord – and do HIS will – then He will provide. He might choose to provide even though you didn’t listen to Him when He told you to do something… which is grace. He knows we are not perfect and will mess up. The gift of Christ dieing for us is His grace when we screw up. But don’t abuse this grace. God is a jealous God and HE will not have someone putting things before Him. If you are – you might see things not going your way – which is HIM trying to get your attention. If you are putting work before your time with Him – you might notice you don’t get as much work, or perhaps the jobs you are getting are stressing you out, or perhaps your focus is on how much money you can make. Turn your focus to Him and spend the time you should be spending with Him and notice the jobs are easier to get through, or there are more job opportunities available, people are overloading your phone with needs for you to fill and profit from.
He takes care of those that lean on Him. He takes care of those that sacrifice time to spend with Him. He loves His children and wants nothing more than to see them aspire to what He created us for. But when you are focused on YOUR desires instead of HIS desires it doesn’t work out.
Are you doing what He wants you to do? Or are you focused on yourself?
Confession Letters 