Trusting God - Dealing with Fear and Worry

My Daughters,


Trusting God may be one of the most important thing to do as a Christian. It begins when you trust Him for your salvation.  Trust is tied to belief - if you don't believe someone, you don't trust them.  Trust is like the second step we take as baby Christians.  First we believe that the Bible is true and the it is the Word of God, and then we trust that God will fulfill His promise to save us if we confess our sins and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died to pay for our sins.  That is the first step of faith/trust that we take as a new believer.  But that is not the only step of faith that we need to take.


Once we have taken those first steps of faith and trust, we need to keep on walking by faith and trusting in God's promises!  Many people "pray the prayer" and figure they have their ticket to heaven and they are good to go - back to living life the way they want to and only thinking about or praying to God when they get into a situation they can't fix - like God is some kind of first aid kit, or supernatural fix-all.  But that is just not how it works.  I believe that there will be many who come before God as they enter eternity and find that their "ticket" is not valid!  Heaven is not a carnival and God is not a ticket taker - He is our loving creator and wants to have a vital relationship with us - one based on daily trust and faith.


But what does trust and faith have to do with fear and worry?  EVERYTHING!


I have said on more than one occasion that where there is faith, there is the absence of fear, and where there is fear, there is the absence of faith - it's a sliding scale - as fear grows, faith fails...as faith grows, fear flees!  I have learned this the hard way - there have been time when I was living in fear, debilitating fear, but God was faithful to me and taught me that I needed to believe in His promises and trust Him for everything.  I still battle this at times, but I try to turn fearful thoughts into prayers for increased trust and faith in God's loving sovereignty.


But you shouldn't take my word for it - let's see what God says in His word about worry and fear (fear leads to worry - when we worry, we are fearful - they go hand in hand).   We will also see what the Bible has to say about trusting in God and believing His promises.


Here is a sampling of verses I found that talk about fear - the majority of verses that came up on my search talked about fearing the Lord, or not fearing Him and the blessings or consequences of that, so I found it interesting what this first verse says about who/what you should fear!


*Deut 6:13  You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.
Deut 31:8 The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 46:1-3 1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 
3 Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. 
Wow - I think I'd be tending to being fearful if all that was going on!
Prov 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.
Isaiah 41:13 For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, 
Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’
Luke 12: 6-7 Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.


After reading all those verses, it's very clear that God does not want us to be fearful of anything - except that we are to fear Him.  Let me clarify what is meant to "Fear the Lord."  This does not mean that we live in fear of what God will do to us, like He's some cosmic bad guy out to make our lives miserable.  This type of fear  is more like standing in awe of Him - believing that He is omnipotent, sovereign, and omnipresent.  Those are big words that mean that He knows everything that has, is and will happen, that He is in control of everything and that He is present everywhere, all the time.  If you take time to think about all the God is and all the He does, and then think that God loves you personally and that He is intimately involved in your life even to the point of caring about the small details and daily struggles you are dealing with, it creates a sense of overwhelming appreciation, and a sense that God is even better, bigger and grander than our human mind can comprehend.  Kind of like the little boy on the trike in the movie "The Incredibles", where he seems to always be waiting around for "something amazing" to happen, and then we see what God has done or is doing and our reaction is, just like that little boy, "That was TOTALLY awesome."


Now let's take a look at what Jesus said about worry - and I think worry is definitely tied to fear - when we fear something, we begin to worry about it, right?  Just like Faith leads to Trust, Fear leads to Worry!


Matt 6:30-32 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.


Luke 12:22-31 And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 25 And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? 26 If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.


Clearly we can see from these two passages that God is aware of our needs and that He will provide for our needs, and that we are not to worry about them at all.  Now please note, this is talking about our NEEDS, not our wants.  God promises to meet our needs of clothing and food.  Most of us are expecting God to meet our wants, things we don't really need, but make our life easier, more pleasant.  God may provide for our wants, but He only promises to meet our needs!  


The Bible teaches us over and over that God is our provider - read some of the stories about the never-ending flour and oil for the widow, shoes that don't wear out as well as manna and birds for the Israelites to eat while they were in the wilderness,  Jesus feeding thousands at a time, and so many other stories of God's amazing providence for His people!  God still provides for His people - it might not be an overabundance, but you will have what you need when you need it.  Worrying accomplishes nothing.  Worrying can cause problems though - stress to our minds and bodies - high blood pressure, ulcers, depression, psychological disorders and more can be the result of worrying over things that we have no control over!  


Another less obvious result of worrying about the future is the lack of thankfulness!  When we are consumed with worry about how we are going to get what we perceive we need, we fail to appreciate what we have already received!  One cure for worry is to take time to count your blessings when you find yourself worrying about anything in your  life. Especially take time to remember times when God has met your needs in the past and thanking Him for His providence.  If you are constantly looking for things to be thankful for, you will have not time or opportunity to worry about what you are missing!  It can also be helpful to take time to look up and memorize passages of scripture, like those above, that tell of God's promises, storing them up in  your heart and mind!


So we can see from scripture that we are not to be fearful or worry about anything.  But can we do this on our own?  Of course not!  What do we need in order to avoid being fearful or worrying?  We need to believe God, ask Him to supply our needs and trust Him to do it.  


Let's take a little time to see what the Bible says about trusting in God:


Psalm 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Psalm 32:10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him.
Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
Psalm 56:3 - 4 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. 4 In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?
Psalm 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. 
Psalm 91:1 - 3 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 
2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!” 
3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence.
Psalm 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.
(That is my personal favorite!)
Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.
Isaiah 26:3 The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.
Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD.
Daniel 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.
Daniel 6:23 Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
Phil 1:12 - 14 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.


Did you notice that many times men trusted in God even when imprisoned and facing probable death!


That is a lot said about trusting in God - and there were many others I didn't include!  I believe that when God talks a lot about something in the Bible, it is very important to Him!  Trusting in God is not something that comes naturally - it is learned!  It is based on a foundation of faith in God - believing that He is who He says He is, and that the Bible is His word, and that He will do what He says He will do.  Once you have you faith in God, you have the foundation necessary to develop trust.


I refer to developing trust because that's just how it works, unless God miraculously instills trust in your heart!  When we are in a relationship with another person, we will not share our deepest needs, biggest fears or personal struggles with that person - we will need to get to know them better.  We build up trust in someone through the events in life - are they trustworthy?  Do they keep your confidence or do they blab what you have told them to everyone?  When you ask them to do something, do they follow through or forget that they promised to help you?  When they say they are going to give you something, do they follow through?  The same is true of our relationship with God, except that we can see His track record through scripture!


The first thing to begin to build trust in God is to read His word, paying attention to how He cared for His people and provided for them!  Watching how He always fulfilled His promises and always did what He said He would do!  


The next way to build trust is God is to watch for His hand in the events in your life - even the little ones, even in things that you didn't ask Him for!  God knows our needs and loves to provide for them even when we don't realize we need them until they are provided.  For example, recently I had some shopping to do, but being over 6 months pregnant and 48 years old, I was getting tired and knew that I was limited in what I could accomplish that day.  I didn't stop and think about this, but noticed that day that I always got parking places very close to the doors of the stores I had to go in, and that the lines I got in for checking out were far shorter than any others in the store!  God knew what I needed that day, and provided for me even though I didn't even think to ask for it!  If we are looking for how God provides for our needs throughout the day, we will begin to grow in our trust, and then when the big things happen in life that can shake us to our core, we can trust God even then!


We also build our trust in God by actively placing out trust in Him.  Trusting in God and not being fearful or worrying is a choice.  Our natural, sinful nature will always have a knee-jerk reaction to trials of becoming fearful and worrying about anything and everything.  But we need to develop a habit of making the choice to place our trust in God and keeping it there.  Sometimes, when things are especially difficult, I have found myself stating for myself what I believe - "God is Good, in everything and in every way!"**  "God loves me and cares for me and is doing this for my good and His glory."  "I WILL TRUST HIM"  In times like that I  try to remember what Job said after everything was taken from him, and nearly all his family was killed - "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (KJV).  Our hearts will follow our minds.  Even when you don't feel like God is doing this for your good, you must place your trust in Him and state what you know to be true!


I  also want to share with you the blessing of placing your trust in God, in any situations - peace.  God grants us peace when we place our trust in Him.  This peace can be an inner peace even in the midst of terrible suffering and turmoil.  Here are some of God's promises about His peace that He gives to His children:


John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.


John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”


And here's my favorite verse to remind me of what to do when I feel worry and fear creeping into my heart and mind, I try to quote these verses and place in His hands the concerns facing me:


Philippians 4:6 - 7  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


Now that's a promise you can hold onto - I have experienced this peace.  When our Esther was just 3 months old, we had to hand her over to the nurse to take her in to have open heart surgery.  I had prayed and prayed that God would keep Esther safe, but I had also prayed that God's perfect will would be done.  Handing her over was one of the most difficult things I have ever done as a mother.  I cried hard for a little while, and then my husband and I went to the waiting room.  I laid down on a couch and fell asleep!  God's perfect peace had come over me and enabled me to sleep!  I had hardly slept the night before, but I slept soundly for over an hour.  Only God can do something like that!  Soon we were back with Esther and she had started a nearly miraculous recovery from her surgery and has never had any heart issues since that time.  But even if God had willed things to turn  out differently, I know that He would have been there for me and would have been granting me peace as long as I was holding tight to the promises of God.


Have you ever noticed how many New Testament letters start or end with the phrase " Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." some variation of that?  Nearly all of them!  Sounds like having God's peace is something they valued - and well they should as they were experiencing some serious persecution!  But imprisonment and probably death could not rob those early Christians of the peace that God gave them - and there's nothing in this world that can rob you of God's peace unless you allow it to happen by letting fear and worry get a stronghold in your heart and mind! 


Lastly, I want to share with you something I have learned the hard way.  God gives grace for us in every situation He ordains in our lives, but He doesn't give grace for the "What Ifs".  When we take on tomorrow's worries, we are on our own.  Matthew 6:34 says “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  We rob our today's of joy by taking on tomorrow's worries.  And we go there without the grace God would/will give if/when the "what if" you are worrying about comes about. When you find yourself worrying about the "what ifs", ask the Lord to give you a peace about tomorrow, and then "take every thought captive" (II Cor 10:5).  When your tomorrow's come and they bring those things we are tempted to worry about tomorrow, you will be given the grace to endure, and a peace the passes understanding, but you will not be given those things ahead of time by worrying.


So whenever you find yourself being fearful or worrying about anything, stop and pray and place whatever it is that is bothering you in God's hands and watch to see God move in your life to grant you peace, provide for your needs and fulfill His promises in your life!


All my Love,


Mom


* I have used BibleGateway.com to do my scripture searches, and unless otherwise noted, all scripture is quoted in New American Standard version
**my friend, Debby Gustafson's favorite saying, even as she was dying from cancer