I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord , who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.
Ouch, that kind of hurts, doesn't it? But if we really get to the issue of worry, we have to admit that we just don't know if God will do what we want Him to do in our lives. So we worry and ask questions amidst our doubts. Will He...
...protect our kids?...heal our marriages?...provide for our families?...bring healing?
Since we don't know what lies ahead, we must choose to walk in faith and trust the God we have come to know. When we remind ourselves of what He has done in the past, we can rest in the present and have hope for the future. There is so much we can remember about God, His ability, and His character.
Here are just a few things:
- He is everlasting, never becoming tired or growing weary while simultaneously depositing new strength in us (Isaiah 40:28).
- He is our Provider of help, never sleeping but instead, watching over us (Psalm 121:2-4).
- He grants overwhelming victory to us and never allows anything to separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-39).
- He holds our concerns because He cares so deeply for us (1 Peter 5:7).
This God, our God, is the One whom we can trust. There's no one like Him anywhere, ever. He's all-powerful, all-knowing, and present all the time. There's never a place where we'll be that He's not already there. He guides, comforts, supplies, strengthens, and provides for us because we are His children, and He adores us. Reminding ourselves of this and living it out every day should help us eradicate the symptom of worry from our lives.
We weren't born to be worriers. We were born to be warriors. The same power that raised our Savior from the dead is available to us through our Heavenly Father. Here is what God says about us:
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
- He says that we are His children and co-heirs with Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:17)
- He calls us more than conquerors. (Romans 8:37)
- He created us as His masterpiece and His workmanship, to do good works. (Ephesians 2:10)
- He has chosen us, and we are His very own possession. (1 Peter 2:9)
- He has called out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)
Eliminating worry from overtaking our lives just takes intentionality on our part. We have to stop toxic, worrisome thoughts so that they don't stop us from living the life God has called us to. And we do this by claiming and applying God's truth to our lives and trusting Him in faith since we can't see what tomorrow holds. Our God is good all the time and has the very best plan laid out for us to be a part of.
Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love?
Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
(As the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep." ) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
From: How to Stop Worrying • Devotional
Watch this short video devotional from Time of Grace Ministries on How to Stop Worrying.
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