"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope
comes from him." - Psalm 62:5
In this world we live in,
bad things happen to good people all the time. We worry because bad things have
happened to us in the past. This makes us fear the unknown entities of life and
anxiety sets into our soul, affecting every part of our body, soul and spirit.
Then we try to control life, which is utterly impossible. Worry does not really
help at all. Worry can choke the life right out of a person. Worries do not add
a single moment to our life. Jesus told us not to worry about things like food,
drink, and clothes, because God will nurture us as wonderfully as He cares for
the flowers that only live for a short time (Matthew 6:25-31). If we let Him, God will even take our corrupt
fleshly nature and exchanges it with Christ’s divine nature (2 Peter
1:4).
Our Heavenly Father already
knows perfectly well how to help us. He will provide for us as we give Him
first place in our life and live according to His precepts. So, seek God and
His Kingdom first, and He will give us everything else we need (Matthew
6:33). God gives us assurances in His
Word, which bring peace to our troubled soul. He sustains us according to His
promises and does not allow our hopes to be utterly crushed. He ensures our
ultimate well-being and does not permit the arrogant to oppress us. He deals
with us according to His love and He teaches us His decrees. As we focus on our
love for Him and as we read His Word, great peace that extends beyond our human
reasoning floods our soul and gives us the presence of mind to follow His
Spirit’s leading in every situation (Psalm 119:116, 122, 124, 165; Philippians
4:7).
Therefore, do not be anxious
about anything. God will take care of all of our tomorrows as we simply live
one day at a time (Matthew 6:32-34).
Peace is the opposite of anxiety. If we rest in God’s promises, we have nothing
to fear, and He will supply all of our needs according to His riches, mercy and
grace. We can go with the flow of the Holy Spirit, moment by moment throughout
the day and rest in God’s abundant love. God revives us in times of trouble. He
stretches forth His hand and protects us from our enemies. He accomplishes
everything that concerns us. His loving kindness lasts forever, and He never
forsakes the works of His hands (Psalm 138:7-8).
It is easy to step out in
faith when we know that Jesus is living inside of us. Faith shines a light on
those things, which trouble us. It gives us assurance of things that we cannot
see with our physical eye or comprehend with our finite mind. Faith even
bypasses our emotions and allows us to trust God to work all things out in our
favor (Romans 8:28). Even
when all of the forces of Satan’s minions come against us, we can stand firm on
the promises of God. If we believe in God’s Word and trust in His promises, He
will shower us with grace in our time of need.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the pressures of
life cause us to get discouraged. Even those with spiritual maturity get
disheartened and want to give up sometimes. Paul pressed on toward the prize (Ephesians
3:12-17). You endured the shame of the
cross because of the joy set before You (Hebrews 12:2). Therefore, we can do nothing less than to finish our
race by trusting in You.
Thought for the Day:
Take God at His Word and
walk in faith in His faithfulness. 