Trust

When it comes to worry, I am the king. Nobody comes close to me when it comes to fretting, worrying and stressing over the most miniscule of matters. I worry about things that do happen, could happen, might have happened, couldn’t happen, would have happened and if I have nothing to worry about, I worry about the fact that there could be something to worry about if I only knew it was there!

Worry, which is just a friendly word for fear, is a mind killer and a soul destroyer. It wipes us out before we can say a word. It makes us tired before we get out of bed and it blinds us to the good things that want to bless us.

In recent times, my worrying has reduced somewhat, as I’ve learned to trust in Christ. The only way I can describe how I feel about what I’ve done may not be theologically sound; I’ve outsourced my worrying, so anything that I should be worrying about, I pass on to Jesus and He does the worrying for me.

At its most essential, worry is lack of trust. Preacher after preacher will encourage you to take your burdens to Jesus and people will come forward in tearful submission, leaving their worries at the altar but after the service ends, they grab their coats and their worries again before leaving.

Why do we do that? Why do I do that? Why do I ever even give my worries to Christ and then pick them back up?

As I said, I believe it is down to lack of trust. I can’t drop my worrying because I’m worried that my worries won’t be dealt with as I want.

I was preaching in a small chapel last week and my subject was the yoke that Christ wants us to carry. Part of the sermon was just this, why do I refuse to leave my worries with the One who can really deal with them?

• I know the Answer
  It’s common for us to think that because we know the answer, we can take it from here. In other words, there’s no need to bother God when we know what to do.
• God Won’t Give Me The Desired Outcome
  I know that in my subconscious, this has been floating around like some deadly jellyfish; I won’t give my worry to God because my worry is based on something that I really want and I’m not sure He’s going to let me have it, so I have to deal with it myself to ensure I get it.
• God’s Not Taking Me Seriously
  Maybe it’s because we don’t think our concerns are big enough to warrant the universe’s CEO’s attention, or maybe we just think God can’t be bothered anyway, but I can sometimes think that God can’t be bothered with me or He doesn’t see things the way I see them and so can’t see the severity of my cause for worry.

Whatever the reason, whether one mentioned above or something else, it would seem that I tend to maintain my right to worry because I don’t think that God can or will help me.

That, my buddy, is lack of trust.

And there’s no need for a lack of trust if you know the Testimonies of God. Looking back through the history of God’s dealings with humanity and the things He’s said, I know deep in my soul that I have every reason to trust God.

Psalm 55:22 says “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”

1Peter 5:6&7 says “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

So it’s not even some kind of cold contract that should make me trust Him, it’s the fact that He cares!

There are so many examples of people worrying, not trusting God and ending up going the wrong way through life. The Children of Israel would have got in 20 years earlier than they did, if they only trusted their God. Jonah wouldn’t have had to endure weeks of smelling more fishy than Captain Birdseye. Abraham could have saved his family a whole bunch of trouble. Moses could have been a great spokesperson before Pharaoh. Peter wouldn’t have sunk. Saul wouldn’t have been dethroned…. Adam and Eve wouldn’t have eaten the forbidden fruit.

As I see it this morning, everything boils down to trust.

Do I trust the Lord?

Proverbs 3:5 says this; “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.”