March 2021 – Fresh Bread & Faith

Do not worry – Jo Le Page

I struggle not to worry. When I think of worry I am reminded of this hymn;
“What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.
Oh what peace we often forfeit, Oh what needless pain we bear.
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”
(extract of the hymn ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’ – Joseph M. Scriven)
That line that mentions the peace that we forfeit (lose or be deprived of) and the needless pain we bear makes me think of worry, when we worry we definitely lose our peace. The rest of this hymn talks about trials and tribulations and not being discouraged. Jesus is our most faithful friend, who can we find who will share ALL our sorrows and someone who
already knows our every weakness. I also love the part ‘in His arms He’ll take and shield you, you will find a solace (comfort or consolation in time of great distress) there.
What a beautiful calming and comforting picture.

It’s great have a friend in Jesus.
It’s wonderful to have someone to take our burdens to and to be able to leave them there.
We often have friends we can ‘take’ our burdens to but it’s not often that we know we can ‘leave’ them there and not have to worry about them again.

Do we ever worry?
What is worry?
Worry means to give way to anxiety or unease; allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles.
It can also mean – a state of anxiety and uncertainty over actual or potential problems.
Quite often what we worry about most is ‘potential problems’ – things that are not
currently an issue and to be honest maybe never will be and yet we allow these things to dominate our thoughts and ultimately make us unwell and while our eyes are on ourselves and our potential problems then our eyes aren’t on Jesus.

Other words for anxiety are;
Worry, fear, fretfulness, tension, doubt, distress, fidgeting, fuss, nervousness, panic, trouble, uncertainty.
How do those words make you feel? They’re not exactly relaxing are they?
The opposite of anxiety is;
Assurance, calm, composure, contentment, ease, happiness, peace, tranquillity.
I feel so relaxed hearing those words, in fact I have written them down and pinned them to my fridge. Read those words again now (aloud if you can) and take/breathe them in.

When we worry we forget our identity and only remember our location.
We forget who goes before us. Who is standing with us.
We forget – I am a child of the living God, I live by faith in the promises of God, I live by faith in the word of God, I don’t live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
We only remember our location, the things that currently making us anxious.
Read Matthew chapter six verses 25 – 34;
Extract below;
25 Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing?
34 So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.
Easier said than done right?
Cast your anxiety on Him for He cares for you –
1 Peter 5:7Amplified Bible (AMP)
7 Casting the whole of your care, all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
You say “Yeah but” – God says “DO NOT WORRY”
You say “Yeah but I have every right to worry about this” – God says “DO NOT WORRY”
You say “Yeah but you don’t understand this is an ACTUAL problem” – God says “Do NOT WORRY”
You say “I don’t know how I’m going to get through this” – God says “DO NOT WORRY”
You say “Yes but I’ve been through this before so I know I have every reason to worry” –God still says “DO NOT WORRY!!”
The verse “cast your care on God” implies that we will have cares. “Cast your worries onto God” implies that we WILL have worries.

God is not saying “I’m surprised at you, worrying about things, where did that come from, I did not expect that from a trusting child of God”. No, God is saying “I’m telling you not to worry because believe me it will ultimately be for your own good. I don’t want you to have worry, fear, fretfulness, tension, doubt, distress, fidgeting, fuss, nervousness, panic, trouble, uncertainty. I want you to have assurance, calm, composure, contentment, ease, happiness, peace, tranquillity. I want you to have peace. So even though I know you are going to worry, I am telling you not to because A. it is for your own good and wellbeing and B. because I am offering myself as someone for you to take your burdens to, I want you to tell me about your worries, in fact I would rather you tell me about them then bottle them up or just tell someone who can’t give you the peace that I can in return. I want you to tell me so that I can gently say please don’t worry about that, because I can see the future and I am in control, and I am with you every day to hold your hand. Remember every time you do worry then please use that as a reminder to pass the worries onto me because once you have passed them onto me you can LEAVE them here, I will take on your worries for you and in return I will give you the peace that passes all understanding”

Try this exercise today. Every single time, even if it is 100 times today, every time a worry pops into your mind pray immediately “Lord I give this worry to you” do it EVERY SINGLE TIME. And what happens? What the enemy means for harm is being turned to good. The enemy who plants the worry into your mind is actually in fact unintentionally now reminding you to pray! And if that thought pops into you mind 100 times today what has that achieved? It has made you pray 100 times more today than perhaps you did yesterday.

Let us turn this around today, and over time it will become more and more natural to pass your worries to God as soon as they make an appearance into your thoughts.
As well as passing your worries onto God, seek FIRST the kingdom of God. Seek His way of doing things. Invest your energy in HIS kingdom and not your own.
Live a life that considers God a priority.
And ultimately; Experience a life where God meets your needs. Maybe not in our time but right on time.
Experience a life where God takes your worries and provides you with what you need.

I hope this article gives you comfort and hope for the future.