Probing
Proverbs 12:25 Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a
person up.
One of Henry Ward Beecher’s favorite stories was about
a young man who was applying for a job in a New England factory. Asking for the
owner, he found himself in the presence of a nervous, fidgety man who looked
hopelessly dyspeptic. “The only vacancy here,” he told the applicant, “is a
vice-presidency. The man that takes the job must shoulder all my cares.” “That’s
a tough job,” said the applicant. “What’s the salary?” “I’ll pay you ten
thousand a year if you will really take over all my worries.” “Where is the ten
thousand coming from?” asked the applicant, suspiciously. “That my friend,”
replied the owner, “is your first worry.”[1]
“Worry” is a word we all dislike, yet all have experienced. Some…have
a minor knowledge of this experience, but they are few. Most, like myself, have
a deep knowledge of this experience. Before I was in a relationship with God I
had a “doctorate” in
this subject! Now, years later, I still wrestle with it, but have learned Who
will deliver me from this experience. I do not claim 100% victory over worry,
but have seen far more victories than failures as I learn to actually train my
mind to live Philippians 4:6-7. Here is what I memorized years ago:
Philippians 4:6–7 Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. And the peace
of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus.
Consider the NLT version, which uses a more common everyday
English:
Philippians 4:6–7 Don’t worry about anything; instead,
pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has
done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can
understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ
Jesus.
This Proverb paints a very good picture of what worry does to
us. Consider where this word came from and what it originally meant.
Worry:
[Middle English worien, from Old English wyrgan; akin to Old
High German wurgen to strangle, Lithuanian veržti to constrict] (before 12th
century) transitive verb
1 dialect British : CHOKE, STRANGLE
2 a : to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping especially at
the throat
4 : to afflict with mental distress or agitation : make
anxious (1) [2]
What a great picture of this word, “Choke, Strangle!” Even
though it may not be physical, it definitely chokes out our joy and can
strangle our life. In fact, medical science has proven that worry and anxiety
can shorten our life!
Here is the key question that must be faced: Why do we,
children of God, struggle with worry and anxiety?
For myself I have discovered that when I worry, it is because I
do not believe in at least one of these three Truths.
Why do we worry, or become anxious?
1. God is Sovereign!
Theologically we know this is true, yet emotionally we find
ourselves wondering is God really is in control. We look at the circumstance
and give it the ultimate power in our life. We lose our compass and forget that
NOTHING comes into our life as a child of God that God did not at least allow.
When we surrender to the reality that God is in control our confidence will
move back to Him instead of the circumstance. I have experienced this, even
recently. One night I could not sleep because of worry. The next night, after
recognizing Who my God is, I awoke again, but this time instead of worrying, I
talked with my Dad about it, and before I knew it I was back asleep.
The second Truth we fail to believe is:
2. God is not mean!
Please do not kid yourself. I know all of us believe God is love,
but in the midst of a severe trial we can think thoughts like, “if
You loved me God why did you allow this,” or “God must be mad at me.”
These thoughts are the flesh’s subtle way to raise doubt about God’s
motives. God has confirmed two very important facts about our life and His
heart.
First, this life is made up of seasons and all will go through
them:
Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 For everything there is a season, a time for every
activity under heaven. A time to be born…die… plant…harvest….kill…heal…tear
down…build up…cry…laugh…grieve…dance…scatter stones…gather stones…embrace…turn
away…search…quit searching…keep…throw
away…tear…mend…quiet…speak…love…hate…war…peace.
Second, His love never fails!
Psalm 103:8–10 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly
accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all
our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
The third truth we fail to embrace completely is:
3. Rom 8:28 is true
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things
to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are
called according to His purpose
The reason is because we try to “reason” from our finite mind and perspective how
anything “good” can come from what’s happening to us. Only God sees the whole
picture, which many times is hidden from us. I recently forgot that as I was being led to leave the ministry and
the people I loved working with. Since I have embraced this Truth again, there
is a new confidence in my life. 
The so what? What
are you worrying about? What are you doing about that?
