“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)
There is a difference between worry and concern. You should be concerned about your children getting a good education, coming to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, and concerned about the relationships they have and the friends that they make. If those things don’t concern you, you are a bad parent. You should be concerned about saving money for a rainy day and planning for retirement. Otherwise, you are foolish.
There are certain things every day that call for legitimate concern. There is a difference between being care-free and care-less. But worry is a different matter and in the greatest sermon ever preached in the history of this planet, by the greatest preacher who ever lived, Jesus Christ, He took this issue of worry head on. He addressed it with the greatest advice any counselor could ever give. Over the next couple of days, we’re going to take a look at what Jesus has to say about worry and how we can overcome the temptation to worry in the circumstances we face each day.
The first thing we need to do if we want to fight the temptation to worry is to thank God for yesterday. One of the best things you can do when you are worried about something is take a trip down memory lane and just remember how God has always come through for you in the past. Your life is like two bookends. From the moment, you are conceived to the moment you die, God was there, God is there, and God will always be there taking care of you.
If you are like me you can look back at so many times in your life and see how God intervened on your behalf, how God provided for a need, or how God protected you from harm. So, remember how God has performed in the past, because there is no reason He won’t perform like that in the present or in the future.
So, if you feel like you’ve got an Egyptian Army behind you and a Red Sea before you and you are worried, the first thing I would say to you is to thank God for yesterday. Remember how God has been faithful in the past and realize He will be faithful in the present and faithful in the future.
Dear Father, thank you for your never-ending faithfulness in my life so far. Thank you for you have come through in all of my yesterdays. Please help me to remember your faithfulness when I’m tempted to worry about the future, trusting that you have everything already figured out. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Topics: Worry
