A friend of mine sent me a text upon learning her husband was diagnosed with colon cancer. I was surprised—yet encouraged—by her reaction.
“God’s got this,” she said confidently.
I want that type of unswerving trust in the One who can handle all things.
Then I realized something. You and I have the ability to have that kind of trust in God because we’ve been given the same thing that my friend, Allison, has been given: God’s trustworthy Word. And his trustworthy character. Still, we tend to be people who worry.
When I inquired from a group of Christian women to express the greatest thing they worry about, this is what they said:
- I am disturbed about my children that they will wander from the Lord.
- I worry that I don’t have any friends.
- I’m concerned about unsaved family members. I need them to recognize Christ and spend eternity with him.
- I’m worried about the stability of my marriage and my husband’s desire for a divorce.
I’m so consoled to know that God is closely familiar with all our ways and that he knows our opinions (and concerns) before we even think them (Psalm 139:2). That promises me he is already working on the matters that worry us most.
I’m also glad God knew we would be worriers and prone to nervousness and stress. And I’m SO glad he had the Apostle Paul address our “nervous opinions” in Philippians 4:6-7:
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Communicate to God what you want, and appreciate him everything he has done. Then you will encounter God’s harmony, which exceeds anything we can comprehend. His harmony will protect your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
So, according to that verse, if you’re disturbed about not having friends, tell God about it, and thank him that he already knows your condition. Ask his understanding in leading you toward reliable friends and then rest in the peace that comes from believing him.
If you’re worried about your unsaved family members, remember that God wants their salvation even more than you do. So appreciate him that he is the One who attracts all men to himself, and then pray specially for them, believing God’s timing and logic. He may choose to influence them through you and he may not.
Also Read: Is It Wrong To Question God?
And when you start to stress out about your marriage, remember that God’s heart breaks over broken marriages—not because he can’t fix them, but because we often surrender before we give him the opportunity to restore it all. He is the God of reunion, not the God of giving up. He is also the author of determining love. Pray, beloved friend, for your spouse’s heart to relax towards the Lord and that in the process, you can love him as God loves him.
Any time you discover yourself in a state you can’t do anything about (which is why we worry in the first place) believe that God is who he says he is and he can work out that condition far better than you.
In my life, when I start to worry that God hasn’t “done something yet,” I have to remind myself that he is who he says he is. He doesn’t need my assistance. He doesn’t need my worry. He desires my trust. When I accepted that he is God and I myself am not and that his purpose is always superior than mine, that is when it gives me that peace that guards my heart and soul—as Philippians talks about.
He still anticipates me to be a decent friend before I can find a good friend. He still wants me to share my faith and talk openly of his goodness, in case he wants to use me to reach my unsaved family members. And he still wants me to work at my marriage and be the wife he called me to be, irrespective of what I might feel. But when you’ve done what you can, go positively back to the values in Philippians 4:6-7 and “Don’t be disturbed about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you want, and show gratitude for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which surpasses everything we can comprehend…” (NLT).
Next time you start to worry, question yourself “What am I trusting God for that isn’t right?” “Do I trust he is true to his word? Do I have faith that he can really take care of this?”
Believe that he really can work ALL things together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). And through this time of waiting and trusting (rather than worrying), you can also have peace knowing that during your time of trusting, he is making you more like his Son (Romans 8:29).
Today, my friend’s spouse who was diagnosed with colon cancer is doing unusually well. It’s been two years. The cancer is gone. They’re still living day by day in the palm of God’s hand. And they’re still convinced—and so am I—that “God’s got this.”
Also Read: Prayer Against Fear of Death