No Worries

“Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

~Psalm 118:5-6

So many times in life we become distressed over things that happen—our jobs, our families, our love lives, finances, and a million other little things that make up the human experience. We react emotionally to situations, and if we’re really honest, there’s no reason to. We have been conditioned to listen to our emotions instead of what God says about every situation: trust Him. The psalmist says he was distressed but he didn’t go on Facebook or Twitter and post about it, or scream and yell at other people, or break things, or act like so many that we see today on TV and social media. No, he called on the Lord. Then what happened? The Lord answered him and set him free. So, he declared, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear!” And that is the appropriate response for anyone who claims to be a Christian.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).”

For us to live the kind of lives that honors the Lord, we must trust that He knows what’s best for us, even in the face of crisis. I’m not saying there aren’t situations that are going to cause us to be angry, or depressed, or broken hearted, that’s life and it happens to all of us—it’s our response to those situations that should set us apart from the rest of the world. If our spouse dies, of course there is an emotional response but there are appropriate emotions and inappropriate emotions. The appropriate emotions would be sadness, tears, feeling lonely and empty; inappropriate emotions would be to break things, get drunk or high, blame others, or seek revenge. That might seem ridiculous, but people do react to stressors in very destructive ways. Ways that are not in line with what the Lord wants from us.

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you… (Colossians 3:1-5).”

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:15-17).”

Read Acts 7-12

©2018 Marie McGaha