Are you a worrier? Do you feel like you need to know how things are going to play out in order to be at peace? I sat around a table with several young mothers and listened to them as they shared their life situations and the struggles of raising young children, husbands losing jobs or being miserable in their jobs, and school decisions. They were discussing how difficult it is to go through life not knowing. One even said, “If I just knew how it would work out, I could walk through it. I just want to know.” Who hasn’t felt that way from time to time?
God is omniscient and by His grace and wisdom, He has made sure we are not. He has called us to lean upon Him and cast our cares upon Him also [1 Peter 5:7]. In John 14:1 He says “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.” This isn’t a request; it’s a command. He never says, “Would you be willing to trust in God and trust in me?” He doesn’t give us choices here and ask us to pick one. I think Nike’s slogan came from Jesus: “Just do it!”
The enemy is constantly lurking in the eves of life looking for opportunities to sneak in and reek havoc in your life [1 Peter 5:8]. If he can plant a seed of doubt in our minds and cause us to succumb to worry, he is victorious. He has taken our eyes off of our Lord and put them on our circumstances. As a result, we begin to sink [Matthew 14: 24-31].
Jesus teaches us about worry in Matthew 6:25-34. Worry is the result of a lack of faith. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” [Hebrews 11:1] It goes on to say in Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”
When we sit and worry about things, we try to figure out what to do. We have limited knowledge and, therefore, we will never make the best choice in our own strength. It’s like trying to put together a 5,000 piece jigsaw puzzle without the box top. We have no idea what the end result is supposed to be so we spend our time guessing and using trial and error hoping to find two pieces that fit together. God is omniscient. He knows what was, what is and what is to come [Revelation 1:8]. He has the box top. He knows what the picture of our completed life looks like, so He knows what needs to take place to get us there. His success rate is a million times greater than ours. Won’t you trust Him today?