Worrying

 

            You may have noted from my last post that the first week of January is not one of my favorite times.  Three times in the last 12 years, my family has suffered loss during the week between New Year’s Eve and January 6, so I have come to look at that week with dread, always waiting for the other shoe to drop.  This year, my nephew and his family were out of town the week after Christmas, and I knew they would be traveling back around New Year’s Eve.  I tried not to think about it but always in the back of my mind was the fear that something bad could happen.  Thankfully, nothing did, and they arrived home safely. 

            Worrying or dread about things we can’t control is an age-old problem. Just like so many other things that began with Adam and Eve, I think they also started the worrying process.  After they ate the forbidden fruit and their eyes were opened, they probably began worrying about how God would respond.  Why else would they hide from God?  God wasn’t happy, and there was punishment, but God didn’t leave them.  He prepared garments for them and even laid the groundwork for His ultimate plan of redemption.

            Jacob worried about his reunion with his brother Esau.  He even took great pains to try to protect his family from the doom that he was sure Esau would inflict on them.  While he worried, he experienced a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with God, and ultimately, Esau greeted his brother with a hug and a kiss.

            Joseph’s brothers feared for the life of their baby brother, Benjamin when Joseph’s silver cup was found in Benjamin’s pack.  Not only were they worried for Benjamin’s safety, but they also worried about whether their elderly father could stand the loss of another child.  What they didn’t know was that the governor was their brother, Joseph, whom they had sold into slavery.  When they found that out, they really started to worry.  Once again, the long, lost brother greeted his siblings with love, not anger.  He knew that what they had intended for evil, God had used for good. 

            There are stories throughout Scripture just like these.  People worry about circumstances, sometimes of their own making, but no longer within their control.  The results weren’t always pleasant.  After all, sin has consequences.  However, in all these situations, God was still there, working all things out. 

            Jesus made it clear that worrying accomplishes nothing.  We can’t add a single hour to our lives by worrying but who knows how many hours we lose because we worry.  He also makes it clear that worrying is a test of our faith.  If we are believers in Christ, then God is with us in the good times and the bad.  That doesn’t mean that there won’t be heartaches, but it does assure us that on the worst days of our lives, He is there! 

            Maybe the answer is to stop worrying and start looking to Him for His peace that passes all understanding.  Remember, He is sovereign!  He has a plan, and He is working all things out in His time. 

            I know that there’s nothing inherently evil about the first week of January, and I can’t promise you that the past events won’t cross my mind a time or two next January.  I do know where my strength comes from.  I know who gives me peace.  I’m going to do my best to turn my worrying over to my Savior who is more than able to handle anything that comes my way.  I hope you will do the same.

Matthew 6: 25 - 30