Pastor Charlie Rousey
2 Timothy 1:7, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
Do you ever struggle with worry? I know I find myself worrying about many things: the state of our nation and economy, getting my daughters through college and the decisions they will make about their futures, the social and political tumult that our nation faces, and the health of myself and Mindy as we grow older. It appears that God has given us much to worry about during our short time on Earth.
I have found that many times worry drives me to God. Often, when things are going well and I feel as if I can figure everything out on my own, I can neglect growing my faith and trust in God. I remember when our first child came home, we put her in her nursery for the very first night, and she did not want to go to sleep without us. As she cried, I went and sat by the crib; when she knew I was there, she laid down and reached her tiny hand through the bars and held onto my finger. As long as she knew I was beside her, everything would be alright. Worry has recently driven me to God and caused me to reach out to him and feel his presence in my life in a new, fresh way.
I have also found that worry has driven me to God’s Word. It has been during the most trying times of my life that I have found the most comfort in the book of Psalms and its many passages on sorrow and anxiety. Growing up, my mom used a doorway to measure my growth, and I noticed that my growth spurts were accompanied by growing pains. I have experienced the same in my spiritual life: the times of growth were accompanied by times of worry which made God’s Word more real and relevant to me personally.
The times of worry in our lives can also show God strong. I can think back to a specific time when I was very uncertain about what was going to happen next in my life; I remember my worry over the total lack of control I had in the situation. I remember going to God and telling Him that I did not know what was going to happen, but I did know that He loves and cares for me and my family. I had to trust whatever He willed. God worked in such a mighty way in a very uncertain time that my doubts and fears were actually used to strengthen the faith I had in an all-powerful and loving God, who moves beyond my understanding to stretch and grow my trust in Him.
If, like me, worry has found its way into your life over the last few weeks, take it to God. You will find that in His hands, worry turns into faith and a new perspective of how powerful God is.