Category: Worry & Fear

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A Hurting Heart

As parents, we all know what it’s like to have our hearts ache for our children.

When they are little and run a fever, break a bone or even go to bed hungry we hurt. As they grow and encounter their first bully or insensitive comment that causes them to cry and question their self-worth, we immediately speak words of love and healing but our hearts ache.

Then there are the times they work so hard and fail to make the team, the choir, the squad; they fail to advance in some academic, artistic or agricultural competition and we hurt. All the time reassuring them that they did their best and we are proud of them. There maybe times when they face overwhelming sickness and we volunteer to take their place.

Oh my, God understands!

When His son was here on earth He lived among a hostile people. Many people were drawn to Jesus, they followed Him and learned from Him but those who seemed most vocal were the ones who hated Him and plotted His death. They were relentless.

I can only imagine how the Father must have felt when He heard Jesus praying in the garden. His Son was in such anguish, the pain was almost unbearable. Jesus had never been separated from the presence of His Father’s love, it was something He considered inconceivable but it was about to happen and He was in great turmoil. Jesus had to make the decision to be obedient to the Father’s plan, for our salvation, which also meant He would be separated from the Father because He was carrying our sin.

His heart ached and so did the Father’s.

“When Jesus had said these things, He looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come! Honor Your Son so Your Son may honor You. 2 You have given Him power over all men. He is to give life that lasts forever to all You have given to Him. 3 This is life that lasts forever. It is to know You, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ Whom You have sent.” John 17:1-3 NLV

How the Father’s heart must have ached! He saw His Son die so that we could have a restored relationship with Him. We are welcome in His presence; we are invited to come with our broken hearts and with our tears for our children. He promises to give us the help and comfort we need.

“ We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. That is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. 15 Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:14-16 CEV

Mothers, Fathers, never hesitate to bring your heart for your children to God’s throne. He knows the anguish and He promises to give us undeserved kindness and help in our time of need.

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Silence Is Golden

It’s very hard to sit quietly, wrapped in silence, when there are things to be done. My morning quiet times used to be short lived because I couldn’t quiet my mind and I would feel the need to get up and get things done. But sometimes, God just wants us to sit quietly – rest in the peace of the moment and be still.

What do you do when God seems silent? I’ve been sitting here this morning listening to the silence. With Easter just a few days away I’ve tried to image what it was like for the disciples in the days that followed the crucifixion.

Jesus is dead!

Each one must be feeling alone; their doors are locked, fear that they will be arrested next and the possibility of their death is forefront. After all, they were Jesus’ closest friends. There is nothing to do but sit and be taken over by the silence.

The One they followed, the One they loved, the One they thought was going to deliver them from the evil Roman rule is dead!

He died so late in the day that they didn’t really have time to prepare his body properly for burial. Joseph of Arimathea wrapped his body in linen and buried him in a tomb hewn out of rock and covered it with a stone but there was more that should have been done. Now it’s the Sabbath and work is forbidden so they have to wait…wait…wait.

“Nicodemus also came with about seventy-five pounds of spices made from myrrh and aloes. This was the same Nicodemus who had visited Jesus one night. 40 The two men wrapped the body in a linen cloth, together with the spices, which was how the Jewish people buried their dead. 41 In the place where Jesus had been nailed to a cross, there was a garden with a tomb that had never been used. 42 The tomb was nearby, and since it was the time to prepare for the Sabbath, they were in a hurry to put Jesus’ body there.” John 19:39-42 CEV

Nothing is really written in the Bible about what the disciples were doing or how they were coping. Matthew is silent, Mark is silent, Luke and John write nothing of the devastation that the disciples must have been feeling. Is that because there are no words to express that kind of deep hurt and desperation?

Silence!

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” Psalm 46:10-11

I hope this verse came to their minds. I hope they remembered the words Jesus spoke just hours before when He said “Don’t let your heart be troubled, don’t let it be afraid”. I hope they found comfort in being alone with God’s words.

In those times when it feels as if my world has come crashing in and no one cares, no one sees what I am going through – when I’m silent, I find hope in knowing that He IS God and I’m not alone.

Silence can either be dark and deafening or golden and filled with light. If we let the Lord’s presence fill our silence with hope it will be golden.

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Happy Cast Away

I don’t know how many of you have had any experience fishing but some of my best childhood and teen memories are centered around fishing with my dad.

When I was quite small Dad would buy my sister and I bamboo cane poles for our fishing excursions to the lake. No reel necessary. Just a bamboo pole, a length of fishing line, a hook and a bobber. We would sit for what seemed like hours waiting for the bobber to go under indicating we had a bite and more than likely a fish.

Our older brother and our dad had the fancy poles with the spinning reels. They could cast a spinner bait or a live bait half way across the lake where the big fish were. How I wished I was old enough for a spinning reel. Eventually, dad bought me one and now I have several of my own.

Yesterday afternoon I sat thinking about those good ole days and then I remembered a story a friend of ours told us about fishing with his three year-old son. They were in the boat, on the lake. He said he had described in great length how to properly use a spinning rod. He had even showed his son, a couple of times, the way to release the line at just the right time.

The explanation was finished and he felt confident that his son was ready to take the rod in hand. He handed the pole, with baited hook, to his son and said “ok, throw it in”. He turned to pick up his own rod and heard a “ker-splash”. He turned around to see that his son had done exactly that. He threw the whole thing in – hook, line and sinker. There is was – the rod and reel beginning to sink. Dad quickly grabbed the fishing net and was able to retrieve the gear. We certainly all got a good laugh at our friend’s expense.

However…that is a perfect example for today’s Scripture verse.

“casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” I Peter 5:7 NKJV

So many times we are the ones with the spinning reel and rod. We cast our cares out to the deep water, far from us, but when nothing happens we anxiously reel them back in and try to take care of them ourselves. Once again we become anxious and overwhelmed so we cast them out their again. We wait on God to do something about our cares. It appears God is being slow, so we reel them in again.

But that’s not what this verse says…Casting them all upon Him. Just like our friend’s little boy in the boat, God wants us to throw our cares in – hook, line and sinker. It’s then and only then the Father can retrieve them. He takes our cares, makes them His own and we are left empty-handed.

While we cast away our cares there is one thing we are told NOT to cast away.

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:” Hebrews 10:35-36 NKJV

Oh what joy – to be care-less and confidence full!

I was convicted about some things that I keep reeling back in. So, I encourage you to do what I did yesterday on the sofa in my living room. I grabbed those cares and made the biggest cast I could and got them to the Father with no strings attached. When I did I saw God cast the confidence of His Word to me.

I hope you will do the same.

I very thankful that I get to be a “cast away”!

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The Worry Box

Have you ever heard the story of the “Worry Box”? I heard a pastor use it in his sermon a number of years ago. It goes something like this:

The head of a major corporation had an appointment in his office. During that meeting the corporate head wrote something on a piece of paper and then put it in a box on the corner of his desk. At the conclusion of the meeting he was asked by the other person about the box and what he had placed in it.

The corporate executive referred to it as his “worry box”. He went on to say that life gives us many opportunities to worry and if we take them all they could be paralyzing. So, he determined to worry only one day a week, Wednesday. Each time he was faced with something to worry about he would write it down and put it in the box until the following Wednesday. He said he soon found that each Wednesday when he opened the box many of the worries had been already taken care of. The Lord, prayer and time had handled them.

Several years back I was able to share this story with a friend and her young daughter-in-law. I gave the daughter-in-law a metal heart basket and I encouraged her to hang it in her kitchen or bedroom and place her worries in it. I hope she is still using it.

Sometimes we need visible reminders of Biblical principles. A worry box is just that.

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” I Peter 5:7 NLT

Some weeks it seems that we could fill an entire yellow pad with the situations that are trying to unnerve us. We might need a bigger box. But, no matter how many things we put into the box our God is able to handle them all. He never puts a limit on His ability to help. We’ll never hear “daily limit, 5 items”. We have been given free access for whenever.

His word is clear: “So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:16 CEV

I read and saved this writing by Max Lucado about worry. I love how the Lord takes our worries and replaces them with trust and joy!

“Take your problems to Jesus. Don’t take them out on others. Temper tantrums never advance a cause. The moment you sense a problem, however large or small, take it to Christ. I can almost hear you say, ‘Max if I take my problems to Jesus every time I have one, I’m going to be talking to Jesus all day long.’ Now you’re getting the point!

The Bible reminds us not to “worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this you’ll experience God’s peace” (Philippians 4:6-7).

An unprayed-for problem is an embedded thorn. It festers and infects—first the finger, then the hand, then the entire arm. Best to go straight to the person who has the tweezers. Let Jesus take care of you. He knows about thorns!“

At the start of this week, if need be, find a box, pen and paper and give your worries over to the Lord. He always manages our problems better than we do.

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Whatcha Thinkin’

How many times have we asked someone, “whatcha thinkin” or how many times has someone asked us that question?

Each day we are bombarded with so much information and it’s all competing for a place in our minds. We are the ones who decide what downloads we accept and we are the ones who decide what data to delete.

The Apostle Paul had a horrible past. He wasn’t much different than Hitler. Both men spent a great deal of time destroying the Jews and feeling they were justified in doing so. Paul was a part of the lynch mob that killed Stephen, the first Christian martyr. After that he did everything he could to track down the Christians, have them arrested and killed. Hitler rounded up the Jews and tried to annihilate them. The difference between the two men – repentance!

Paul’s message of God’s unconditional love and his understanding of grace was born out of his past. He could preach the amazing grace of God and absolute forgiveness because he had experienced it. He wouldn’t allow himself to be sidelined with thoughts of his unworthiness.

Our minds may be telling us, you’re unworthy – God can’t or won’t love you; He won’t forgive you; He won’t use you! You’re a disgrace – if people knew who you were or what you did, they wouldn’t want anything to do with you. Paul had those thoughts and this is how he handled them.

“All the other apostles are greater than I am. I say this because I persecuted the church of God. That is why I am not even good enough to be called an apostle. 10 But, because of God’s grace, that is what I am. And his grace that he gave me was not wasted. I worked harder than all the other apostles. (But I was not really the one working. It was God’s grace that was with me.)” I Corinthians 15:9-10 ERV

Paul knew how it felt to deal with feelings of unworthiness but instead of wallowing in that he filled his mind with an overwhelming dose of God’s grace and stepped into the acceptance of God’s unconditional love.

“But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.” Romans 5:8 ERV (written by Paul)

Worry is also a tactic the mind uses to sideline us. With everything that’s happening around us it’s easy to worry. How do we not worry?

“Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. 8 Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. 9 You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you.” Philippians 4:7-9 CEV

Worry can be replaced with peace when we keep our thoughts focused on things that are good and pure. We need to remind ourselves that we have a loving, heavenly Father who protects us.

We can let our thoughts imprison us with bars of worry and unworthiness or we can stay focused on God’s love and have grace and peace unlock the prison door and set us free.

Guard your thinkin’!

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World Peace

In light of our world and national situation, I felt it was appropriate to remind us of some of Jesus’ final words to His disciples.

The crucifixion is just hours away. Jesus knows the spiritual, physical and mental state of his disciples – He knows they are hoping that He will overturn the government and set up an earthly kingdom. He knows they are moved by fear. He’s had to address that several times in the past and He knows that one of his disciples will betray him for money and the others will leave Him in His darkness hour.

He not only knows their weaknesses and fears He knows ours as well. He knows our fears – the things we haven’t voiced to anyone. He knows our spiritual condition; He knows where our faith is weak and He is very aware of our physical limitations. He spoke these words to comfort and encourage the disciples.

This is what Jesus is saying to all of us as well.

“Jesus said to his disciples, “Don’t be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me…18 I won’t leave you like orphans. I will come back to you. 19 In a little while the people of this world won’t be able to see me, but you will see me. And because I live, you will live. 20 Then you will know that I am one with the Father. You will know that you are one with me, and I am one with you. 21 If you love me, you will do what I have said, and my Father will love you. I will also love you and show you what I am like…23 Jesus replied: If anyone loves me, they will obey me. Then my Father will love them, and we will come to them and live in them. 24 But anyone who doesn’t love me, won’t obey me. What they have heard me say doesn’t really come from me, but from the Father who sent me. 25 I have told you these things while I am still with you. 26 But the Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you. 27 I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn’t like the peace that this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid” John 14 CEV (these verses are only a part of the chapter, I encourage you to read the whole chapter)

“I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn’t like the peace that this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid.” verse 27

Jesus starts the chapter with “Don’t be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me”. There are no truer words to be spoken today. Don’t worry, have faith in God and take my peace. When I read these words they seem to be the words of a last will and testament. It’s as if Jesus is giving us an inheritance of a worry-free, peace-filled life.

What a wonderful inheritance!

We can trust God! He promised if we put our faith in Him we will never be ashamed.

“I come to you, Lord, for protection. Don’t let me be ashamed. Do as you have promised and rescue me. 2 Listen to my prayer and hurry to save me. Be my mighty rock and the fortress where I am safe. 3 You, Lord God, are my mighty rock and my fortress. Lead me and guide me, so that your name will be honored.” Psalm 31:1-3 CEV

Let’s take His peace today – don’t be worried or afraid but trust in the One who loved us enough that He died for us! He loves us enough that He lives for us and intercedes for us from His throne in heaven!

Peace!

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Very Much

Not sure what it was that triggered in my brain yesterday but I got to thinking about this phrase, “I love you very much.”

Does that mean that I didn’t love you as much as I love you now? Or does it mean that if you act differently than I like that I will love you less? If you can’t give me what I need or aren’t considerate of my feelings will I will “fall” out of love with you or love you less?

All of these are things to consider but now consider this, God has never put degrees or conditions on His love for us!

Plain and simple. He loved us when we were sinners; He loved us when we didn’t love Him; His love never fails; He thinks the best of us; He doesn’t hold a grudge. He will never not love us! Even when we reject, ignore, disappoint and deny Him, His love never fails!

He is always willing to say “I love you with my whole heart” and He means it. His love amazes me!

” Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 5 Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. 6 Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. 7 Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits.

8 Love will never end.” I Corinthians 13:4-8 ERV

When things are scary and leave you worried God is there to say “I love you. I will take care of this. You can trust me.”

“God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him.” I Peter 5:7 CEV

Father, Thank you for loving me without measure. Show me how to love in that same way.

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Just for the Birds

It was beautiful day, yesterday. The sun was shining, a few clouds in the sky, the fragrance of hyacinths filled the air and it was perfect for sitting out back and enjoying the warmth of a Spring day.

I took my water, my phone and my book. I’m currently reading Max Lucado’s “Jesus, The God Who Knows Your Name”. It’s very good. I chose a chair that had me positioned directly across from the mesquite tree and two of our hummingbird feeders.

They’re back!

One of the things I most look forward to each Spring is the hummingbirds returning. One year we had so many little visitors that I was going through almost five pounds of sugar a week. I could watch them for hours. At one point, I closed my book and just watched as they flitted from branch to feeder. They are very possessive and don’t like to have other birds or bees sharing what they feel is their spot on the feeder’s base and they will dart from the tree to chase off the offending intruder.

The whirl of their wings as they hover mid-flight is a sound I relish and the little chirp or chatter they emit when they are excited is soft but emphatic. Yes, I love watching them!

I hope you’ve had the pleasure of seeing them. Regardless of that, I’m sure you have seen the robins, sparrows, blue jays, dove, cardinals or meadowlarks. Each one has their unique rituals of feeding and nesting. They start and end each day with a song.

Do we?

Do we start the morning with melodious song and end it with a soft cooing or warbling? What do they have to sing about; they live out-of-doors, no roof (other than leaves) over their heads? They eat bugs and face the weather head on. Their recliner is nothing more than a tree branch or telephone wire. Do they “people” watch and wonder why we are in such a hurry to get from place to place? Do they hear us screech or do they think our voices are sweet?

I know I’ve penned these thoughts before but the Lord reminds me frequently that He loves me more than He loves the birds and because of that I, too, should spend my life singing.

“So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat, drink, or wear. Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it. 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Don’t you know you are worth much more than they are? 27 You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.” Matthew 6:25-27 ERV

Since God takes care of the birds we can be confident that He will always care for us, after all, He has adopted us as His own. I think those were probably the thoughts of the songwriter when he wrote:

“I sing because I’m happy; I sing because I’m free. For His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.”

I hope you realize that you have reason to sing this morning. Our heavenly Father is watching over us and that is certainly something to sing about!

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My Anchor Holds

What do we do when the seas of life start getting rough? Do we abandon ship? I hope not.

There are so many things that can shake us to the core; dangerous circumstances, loss of a loved one, financial crisis, relationship issues. So many things. Jesus answered each and everyone with the same words, fear not!

He said that to the man whose daughter was at the brink of death. Fear not was his command to his apostles on the stormy sea. He told Peter to go fishing when he needed to get the money to pay Caesar’s taxes. And when He was about to be crucified His command to his disciples was “Don’t worry”!

I once heard a sermon on rattlesnakes. The preacher asked what we would do if someone came to our door with a box of rattlers. The answer, of course, was not to let them in. He went on to say that worry, fear and anxiety are more deadly than that box of snakes. So, when those things come to plague us we shouldn’t let them in.

How do we keep them out; the thoughts of worry and fear?

We put God’s word at the door of our heart and mind and stop those thoughts from entering. We keep focused on God’s promises. Max Lucado, teacher and author, has coined a wonderful phrase, “Because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!”.

Hope!

“God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. 19 This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. In fact, hope reaches behind the curtain and into the most holy place.” Hebrews 6:18-19 CEV

Our hope in God’s promises will be the anchor that we need as we face life’s challenges. None of us are promised a life of only smooth seas and prevailing winds. When the storms come we can be assured that our anchor holds firm and that the One who said “Peace, be still” is right beside us in the boat.

We must find God’s promises and place our anchor there. Our hope in Him will hold us secure.

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Yesterday’s News

Yesterday I watched as something very strange transpired. The stock market fell and all the financial analysts were saying it was because of the coronavirus reports.

Fear was rearing it’s ugly head!

For years I have read and taught about the protection the Lord promises us from His Word, particularly Psalm 91. However, there was a part of that chapter I didn’t fully understand until a few years ago.

“You will not be afraid of trouble at night, or of the arrow that flies by day. 6 You will not be afraid of the sickness that walks in darkness, or of the trouble that destroys at noon. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand. But it will not come near you.” Psalm 91:5-7 NLV

In my lifetime we have been warned of the swine flu, the bird flu, SARS, Legionaire’s disease and now the coronavirus. I’m not saying that these diseases are not real threats but I am saying that God’s word gives many promises of protection to those of us who trust Him. He will keep us safe.

“Because you have made the Lord your safe place, and the Most High the place where you live, 10 nothing will hurt you. No trouble will come near your tent.” Psalm 91:10 NLV

The Lord doesn’t want us living in fear. I know I’ve told you before but it bares repeating now. There are over 300 verses in the Bible that counsel us not to fear, to worry or be anxious. Those things, left unchecked, will rob us of our faith in God. Faith is trusting the Father to handle all the circumstances of our lives; fear displaces that trust and tries to convince us that He won’t.

“I will give honor and thanks to the Lord, Who has told me what to do. Yes, even at night my mind teaches me. 8 I have placed the Lord always in front of me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be moved. 9 And so my heart is glad. My soul is full of joy. My body also will rest without fear.” Psalm 16:7-9 NLV

Rest without fear!

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