To Encourage You

Matthew 28:20 “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:28 “ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,^[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Mark 9:24 “I believe; help my unbelief!”

So, are you worried about something right now?  Is something eating at you?  Something coming in the next hour, day, week, month or year that you are dreading?  Are you in some situation in which you don’t really know what to do?  You’re just not sure?  And the decision you make matters – a lot!  Unfortunately, I’m afraid you are in the minority if your answer is “no” to all these questions.  

So, if you are worried, should you be?  Well, if you are a Christian, the answer is pretty simple: “NO.”  Perplexed, confused, concerned, unclear, questioning – any of these things is normal for a believer, and the Bible doesn’t call these states of mind sins.  We are human, and these things are all part of being human.  The feeling or belief that we are not smart enough, tough enough, wealthy enough, or strong enough to deal with some issue is normal – and in many cases, it is also a fact.  Worrying is also a normal human reaction to stress; however, for the Christian, worrying is simply a sin. It is simply and surely the sin of unbelief.  

Our heads can be full of Bible verses. Most Christians have memorized the first three verses above.  They know all of these things.  However, when facing a difficult thing, a common response – though perhaps not verbally – is “Yes, I know the Bible says that, BUT . . . “  And the “BUT” in that line of thinking is simply a reflection of unbelief.  We don’t really think Jesus can be believed although he has given His word that he is with us always, and that he will supply everything we need for every situation we face in life (which he has ordained and is in sovereign control over, by the way), or that all things will certainly work together for good.  When our reaction is worry, anxiety, fearfulness, and despair, we are demonstrating that although we may profess to know and love Christ, there are areas in our life in which we do not believe him.  

Nevertheless, He is so patient with us.  He works in our lives constantly to help us to trust Him more.  Everything we know about Him demonstrates that He is indeed trustworthy, but we are often so much more ready to trust other people, like our friends, parents, or even ourselves than we are the eternal and infinitely powerful Son of God for which lying is an impossibility.  Herein lies a major stumbling block, because although we often demonstrate that we trust others, whom we can see, more than God, whom we can’t see, we also, in our heart of hearts, know that everyone in this world has weaknesses, and sometimes they will inevitably fail at some things because of this.  So why not worry, if it is in weak people (including ourselves) that we are ultimately trusting.  

May God help us to believe the Word of the One Who has loved us so much that while we were yet sinners, He died for us.