Articles
Don’t Be Worried or Afraid
Don’t Be Worried or Afraid
Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (Psalms 55:22).
Never does a day pass in which in some way or another we are reminded that life on this side of eternity is not always going to be smooth and easy. God has never promised us that we will never be exposed to afflictions and trials that will test our faith, confidence and trust in him. Our physical bodies are weak and frail, subject to many afflictions physically and mentally that cause our hearts to be troubled with pain, distress and grief that threaten to overwhelm us (Job 14:1, Psalm 90:9-10, James 1:2-3).
I hear Paul as he tells us we are going to be burdened in this life (2 Cor. 5:4). Burdened means to be loaded with weight, encumbered or oppressed. The truth is that we are going to be exposed to all the trials and temptations common to all men until the day we go home to be with the Lord (John 16:33, Revelation 21:1-4). So what do we do when our lives are turned upside down by the burdens of this life? There are any number of ways to answer this question but it just seems to me that the answer begins by saying, take it to the Lord in prayer (Phil. 4:6-7, Heb. 4:14-16, 1 Thess. 5:17, 2 Pet. 5:7). One of our songs proclaims so powerfully, “But when my soul needs manna from above, Where could I go but to the Lord?”
John 14:1, Jesus says, Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe in me. Then in the 27th verse he says, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you, Do not let not your heart be troubled. nor let it be fearful.” The peace Jesus gives is solid, firm, durable and lasting. It will not fade away with the passing of time. He who could rebuke and still the storm tossed sea of Galilee by saying, peace be still (Mark 4:35-41) can surely protect and deliver us from any storm of life we encounter.
I have grown rather fond of Psalms 4:8, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.” How powerfully comforting are the thoughts that begin to flow through my mind as I think about this statement from David. When the peace of God reigns in our heart, we can with calmness and peacefulness of soul lie down and sleep the night through knowing that all is well with our soul. We can begin the new day of existence in full confidence that the all seeing eye of our God will be watching over us and will, if we allow him to do so, lead us safely through another day (Heb. 4:13, Psalms 18-22).
Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful (John 14:27). The way to be freed from trouble and fear is to have an unwavering confidence in God and Jesus (John 14:1). So build your hopes on things eternal and diligently walk each day confidently knowing that the best is yet to come (Philippians1:21)—To God be the glory!
Charles Hicks, Gallatin Tennessee
