Read: Romans 8:35-39
“It
is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in men. It is better to take
refuge in Him than in the mightiest king!” - Psalm 118:8-9
One day I
realized that worry continually disturbed my peace and joy! The unknown
entities of life filled my soul with endless stress and debilitating fear.
I found
myself sitting on the edge of my seat, holding my breath, fearing some
potential catastrophe that probably would never happen! I tried to carefully
control life, in order to keep myself safe. I resisted relinquishing all of my
cares to God, fearful that He could not take care of me.
My fears
stemmed from believing that something might happen to hurt me. I had every
right to feel this way. Life had hurt me…over and over again. I failed to
remember, however, that God turned every one of those hurts into blessings for
me. I also did not recall that I could do all things through Christ who
strengthens me (Philippians 4:13), and that I am more than a conqueror
through Jesus within me (Romans 8:37).
One more
thing I forgot is that I can never be separated from God’s love, which is all I
really need to survive in this life. The Apostle Paul learned that “neither
death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present
nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing could
separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans
8: 35-39).
As I prayed
about fear, God taught me that at the moment when I recognize anxious thoughts
disturbing my soul, I need to write my concerns on a piece of paper and put
them in a heart-shaped box. Then, when circumstances rekindle that fear, I can
remember, “I do not need to worry about this. I already put this concern in the
‘Heart of God.’”
When we
courageously accumulate a history of overcoming struggles, we gain the strength
to face our current adversity with faith. As we watch God turn our trials into
triumphs, we actually lose our fear of the future and start looking for the
seed of His miracle within each hardship.
Jesus told
us that we are not sufficient by ourselves. He is the vine and we are the
branches. He said that if we abide in Him and He abides in us, we will bear
much fruit (John 15:4). Our sufficiency is from God alone (2
Corinthians 3:5-6). Our
lifeline during negative circumstances comes from remembering that our enemies
and negative circumstances will never triumph over us (Psalm
25:2).
As we are led by His Spirit
moment by moment throughout the day, continually giving praise for each good
thing He provides, and breathing deeply from the depths of our being, we gain
the assurance that all of our circumstances do work out for our ultimate good (Romans
8:28). It is better to trust the Lord
than to put our confidence in ourselves or in others (Psalm
20:7).
This does not insinuate that
we make no effort in the situation, nor does it imply that we fail to ask other
people for help when we need it. It does indicate, however, that we pray first,
asking God to give us His wisdom and strength to accomplish all that He gives
us to do. Relying on God is better than depending on the most powerful person
in the world! - Psalm 118:8-9
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the
next time I get between a rock and a hard place, remind me not to be discouraged
or upset. Help my unbelief and give me the courage to expect You to act. We
have plenty of reasons to praise You for all that You do and will do for us.
You are our help. You are our God (Psalm 42:11).
I put my trust in You.Thought for the Day:
Fear not, because God is with you. - Isaiah 41:10.
