Worries Find Refuge
Do you ever find yourself advising God (as if He needs our help)?
Sometimes we seem to think that we have a great idea about how to right a wrong or get someone saved. We pray things like, “Oh Lord, Give me the opportunity to say ….. and he will change his mind.” Or, “bring the perfect Christian husband for her and she will get saved.”
In our current (COVID 19 and national unrest) situation it is easy to worry and easier to think of the things we (or God) could do to “fix” things.
Does God need to be told what to do or is His plan sufficient? We sometimes adopt tactics when we ‘re anxious because it doesn’t appear that God is at work in the situation. We want the situation fixed in our time.
The Bible says, “Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6).
Sigh. How are we doing on that “thanksgiving?”
I am not a worrier under normal circumstances. I love peace and work to maintain it. But, sometimes complete peace in our lives is not up to us. Personally, in the Church, town, nation, or globally, we may not not have the power or authority to change things (which does not mean we should not express our biblically informed opinions!).
It is a helpless feeling to know we cannot change our circumstances. Truth be told, the things we worry about are often things that are out of our jurisdiction. But, we are the ones feeling the ripples of these problems coming through the water. For many right now they feel more like tidal waves than ripples.
So,
We pray.
We talk to the people involved (hoping that the problem will be seen our way and be over.)
We talk to other people hoping they will step in and fix everything.
We pray some more.
In the meantime, we lose some sleep and talk too much to too many people.
We forget the power and faithfulness of God to intervene when and how He will.
Many of us know for sure that God is worthy of waiting on. We trust that His ways are higher than ours. We are sure He is not unaware of what is happening. We have asked Him and asked Him to step in and heal the wounds and correct the theology that has allowed the problems.
But in between prayers, we worry. Our faith is not as deep as we thought. Sigh again.
The good news is that these situations do eventually get resolved by the work of the Lord, often through the works of His people, not the worry or the words we apply to them. Each time He does that, our faith grows and we can remind ourselves the next time that He is faithful and true to hear our prayers.
Will we remember God’s past faithfulness in a difficult time so that we will pray more, talk less, and trust Him to be our refuge and strength?
The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My God, in Him I will trust (2 Samuel 22:3 NKJV).