‘Don’t worry,’ we tell each other, ‘it’ll be fine.’
We’re sincere, we mean well, but not worrying is easier said than done. It’s only natural to have some concerns and some things are frankly scary!
Some are relatively small irritations, trying to negotiate something online or figure out what the latest unwanted ‘updates’ have done to the computer. Others are bigger issues affecting whole communities and nations.
When we’re young we worry about passing our exams and finding employment and whether anyone will like us. When we’re older we worry about keeping or losing our job or partner, paying the bills and then there’s the kids! Where are they? Are they safe?
Most of us, as we get older develop some health issues. If we manage to see a GP our first question might be -is it serious? Then again, do we want to know or not? How might illness affect us and those we hold dear?
We haven’t even thought about the News. I know people who refuse to watch it, saying it’s too depressing. Earthquakes, floods, climate change, wars, refugees, totalitarian regimes in some places, culture wars in others.
I used to tease my Mum who constantly seemed to be stressing about things that would probably never happen. As I get older I begin to understand. We don’t want to worry but sometimes it’s hard not to.
There is comfort in discovering the most frequently used words found in the Bible are ‘Don’t be afraid.’
Christians are reassured by the belief that there is an all-powerful God in ultimate control of everything and that He cares about the tiniest detail of all that happens. The microscopic and the cosmic, the personal and the global – He’s got it covered.
Jesus, Himself no stranger to extreme challenge and suffering, frequently told His disciples, ‘Don’t be afraid.’ Don’t be crippled by anxiety. Help is at hand.
On one of the first occasions the fishermen met Him by the Lake of Galilee and sensed something supernatural in the extraordinary catch of fish, there it is – ‘Don’t be afraid, I will make you fishers of men!’
On a later occasion when He walked across the sea at night in a storm to join them in their struggle, there it is again – ‘Don’t be afraid.’
It’s there in the Sermon on the Mount as He teaches His followers to seek as of first importance all that pleases God and serves His kingdom. Our heavenly Father knows our need, He will provide our daily bread and everything else too!
Perhaps most poignantly, at the Last Supper, knowing what is ahead, Jesus instructs us to be realistic. Yes, in this present world we must expect some ‘trouble’ but if He can overcome then so can we, with His gracious help.
No one relishes the thought of suffering but, as Princess Catherine tellingly reminded us not long ago, we are not alone.
We trust in a merciful God Who has protected and provided for us this far. Scripture promises we will not be tested beyond our capacity to endure and that His grace will prove sufficient for every trial, every day and that includes today.
And so we can profess, ‘All I have needed Thy hand has provided, great is Your faithfulness, Lord, unto me.’
We’re sincere, we mean well, but not worrying is easier said than done. It’s only natural to have some concerns and some things are frankly scary!
Some are relatively small irritations, trying to negotiate something online or figure out what the latest unwanted ‘updates’ have done to the computer. Others are bigger issues affecting whole communities and nations.
When we’re young we worry about passing our exams and finding employment and whether anyone will like us. When we’re older we worry about keeping or losing our job or partner, paying the bills and then there’s the kids! Where are they? Are they safe?
Most of us, as we get older develop some health issues. If we manage to see a GP our first question might be -is it serious? Then again, do we want to know or not? How might illness affect us and those we hold dear?
We haven’t even thought about the News. I know people who refuse to watch it, saying it’s too depressing. Earthquakes, floods, climate change, wars, refugees, totalitarian regimes in some places, culture wars in others.
I used to tease my Mum who constantly seemed to be stressing about things that would probably never happen. As I get older I begin to understand. We don’t want to worry but sometimes it’s hard not to.
There is comfort in discovering the most frequently used words found in the Bible are ‘Don’t be afraid.’
Christians are reassured by the belief that there is an all-powerful God in ultimate control of everything and that He cares about the tiniest detail of all that happens. The microscopic and the cosmic, the personal and the global – He’s got it covered.
Jesus, Himself no stranger to extreme challenge and suffering, frequently told His disciples, ‘Don’t be afraid.’ Don’t be crippled by anxiety. Help is at hand.
On one of the first occasions the fishermen met Him by the Lake of Galilee and sensed something supernatural in the extraordinary catch of fish, there it is – ‘Don’t be afraid, I will make you fishers of men!’
On a later occasion when He walked across the sea at night in a storm to join them in their struggle, there it is again – ‘Don’t be afraid.’
It’s there in the Sermon on the Mount as He teaches His followers to seek as of first importance all that pleases God and serves His kingdom. Our heavenly Father knows our need, He will provide our daily bread and everything else too!
Perhaps most poignantly, at the Last Supper, knowing what is ahead, Jesus instructs us to be realistic. Yes, in this present world we must expect some ‘trouble’ but if He can overcome then so can we, with His gracious help.
No one relishes the thought of suffering but, as Princess Catherine tellingly reminded us not long ago, we are not alone.
We trust in a merciful God Who has protected and provided for us this far. Scripture promises we will not be tested beyond our capacity to endure and that His grace will prove sufficient for every trial, every day and that includes today.
And so we can profess, ‘All I have needed Thy hand has provided, great is Your faithfulness, Lord, unto me.’
RSS Feed