Last week I had an unexpected turn of events that made my world go from worry free and in control to panic mode. Amid my meltdown, a calm part of me said, “so, are you going to trust Jesus, or what?” Boom, there it was, the challenge we Believers face daily, will we trust God, or will we worry?
Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding.” That says there are two camps, the trust camp, and the worried camp; there is no in-between. When disaster unfolds, we must first adjust to the news and respond. We Believers usually take our problems to God, and then we worry in His presence and call it prayer. Next, we bounce in and out of faith like pinballs. Faith to fear and back again. It’s exhausting! And it’s deadly.
Worry triggers stress, and stress can be linked to about 95% of our health problems. No wonder God tells us to fear not! Trusting Him is His antidote for what ails us. Plus, Jesus tells us, “Who, by worrying, can add one hour to their life?” We might not be able to add an hour to our lives by worrying, but we can surely take years off by doing it. I, for one, do not want to die of a stress-related heart attack or stroke because I can’t stop being a control freak.
My Jesus Calling devotional today said, “Anxiety is a result of envisioning the future without Me [Jesus]…If you must consider upcoming events, follow these rules: 1) Don’t linger in the future because anxieties sprout up like mushrooms when you linger. 2) Remember the promise of My continual Presence; include Me in any imagery that comes to mind.”
One of the things we know Jesus is saying to us about the future is found in Matthew 6:25. He says, “Don’t worry about tomorrow.” He then talks about how God takes care of the birds in the air and the flowers in the field and how we are valued much more than anything else in God’s creation. And in Luke 12:7, He says something I treasure, “Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not.” Jesus can’t lie, so if He said it, it’s true; God knows how many hairs I have on my head, and I have a ton of hair.
Moreover, I shed constantly, so He’s always up there, counting away. That is a lot of personalized attention each one of us gets from our Creator. I find great comfort in that. The kind of comfort that lets me relax into His presence and trust that He knows best.
Sufficient is the grace for today. Grace is God’s magic sauce of life. In it, we find His power made perfect in our weakness and His favor when we don’t deserve it. It enables us to rise above our circumstances and find hope. It allows us to take our gear and make a solid move into the trust camp. It’s where we find life. But here’s the trick, it’s only available today. You won’t find it future tripping about tomorrow or regretting yesterday. It’s only available one day at a time. Take a deep belly breath and exhale, saying, “sufficient is the grace for today.”
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