“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Matt. 6:27; NIV

 Today’s verse is one I’m sure everyone has heard more than once in their life. Even those who don’t read the Bible are familiar with this concept. Jesus spoke these words right after He gave us some godly wisdom about money. And yet money is the very thing that causes many of us to worry. That being said, money is not the only thing we find to worry about in our daily lives. Finding things to worry about is a tiresome task, but that doesn’t stop us from doing it.

Let’s be honest, if your boss walks past you with a sour look on his or her face and doesn’t acknowledge you, or seems to be avoiding you, do you worry about what might be wrong. Do you think “what have I done?”, or “what have I not done?” When there is an economic downturn in the news, do you worry about your retirement savings? Do you start to worry when your spouse doesn’t come home at his or her usual time and their phone goes to voicemail? If you answer yes to these types of questions, ask yourself what your worrying could do to change the situation. You will find that worrying will not avoid or change any of the situations you worry about. What it shows however, is that your trust in God could use a little attention.

We have a God that is bigger than any situation; and He loves you and hears your prayers. He may not answer them the way you want Him to all the time, but He knows best how to answer them. We have to trust that God shows up in all situations whether we can see it or not. It takes faith to trust God. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1; NASB) Just because you don’t see God working doesn’t mean He not there. It’s our faith that keeps us from running, hiding, worrying, or giving up when things go wrong.

There is nothing positive that comes from worrying. In most cases, you will find you have no control over what you’re worrying about anyway. In fact, worry can negatively affect your decision making, or worse, delay or even prevent you from making one. Jesus went on to say: “… do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matt. 6:34; NASB) Every day will have its own set of challenges. Worrying about them will not help.

Give those worrisome things to God. Pray for any situation that concerns you and trust that the Lord has heard your prayer. Have faith the outcome will be for the best. It takes faith to stop worrying, and your faith will grow each time you make a conscious effort to trust in the Lord and let it go.

Have a great week and God bless.