As I’ve grown older, I’ve made it a point to not waste a day worrying about something I can’t control.
I wish I’d had that mindset when I was younger. How many days have I wasted, how many stomach aches could I have spared, how much less stress I could have had if I’d remembered that the One who controls all things has my back and has my situation under perfect control?
Here are ten things that you never need to worry about if you follow God’s instructions in His trustworthy Word and depend on the One who can do all things:
1. Your Health. If you know personally the Great Physician, you never need to worry that you or someone you love suffers with a condition that no doctor understands or can treat. Nothing takes Him by surprise. No condition is outside of His league.
2. Your Provision. If you faithfully honor God with the first of what you have, you never need to worry that He won’t provide for you, financially and otherwise (Micah 3:10-13; Philippians 4:19). He already knows what you’ll need tomorrow, next week, and next month. And He already knows from where the provision will come.
3. Your Reputation. If you, like David in Psalm 101, “walk within (your) house in the integrity of (your) heart, and set no worthless thing before (your) eyes” (Psalm 101:2-3), you never have to worry about your reputation. God’s got your back. In fact, as you identify yourself with Christ, (Galatians 2:20), your name is His name, and He always protects His own.
4. Your Investments. If you are investing in eternal things, you never have to worry that you will be robbed, ripped off, or wiped out financially (Matthew 6:20). He takes great care of what you give to Him.
5. God’s Best. If you walk uprightly, you never need to worry that God will withhold something truly good from you (Psalm 84:11). (If you are walking uprightly now and it still seems like God is withholding, it either isn’t truly good for you, or it isn’t time.)
6. Your Future. If you “commit to the Lord whatever you do” (Proverbs 16:3), you don’t need to worry that you’ll be short-changed, cheated, or destined for failure. God’s Word promises not only that your plans will succeed when they are committed to Him, but that God can work even the bad things for your eternal good (Romans 8:28-29).
7. Your Ability to Make the Best Decision. You never need to worry about being ignorant or relying on your own thinking. God's wisdom is there for the asking. James 1:5-6 says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” So, ask God for wisdom and ask for it by faith in Him alone.
8. Finding a Husband. You never need to worry about meeting a godly husband because God's ways and timing are perfect. Psalm 18:30 says: "As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him." I find in this verse a very special guarantee. If God hasn't yet brought someone into your life, He is definitely "shielding" you from what you don't yet see. I find it interesting, too, that God is also described as a "shield" in Psalm 84:11 which promises that "no good thing will He withhold from those that walk uprightly." Just as you see "meeting a godly husband" as a reward from God, see His ability to "shield" and protect you from a husband as just as much of a reward.
9. Unsaved Loved Ones. You don’t need to stress and worry about friends and family members who don’t know Christ because Scripture assures us "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Ask God for the privilege of being a part of His plan to reach them, either through your words or your prayers. And then pray for their salvation with 1 John 5:14-15 in mind which promises that "if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." Pretty big promise. But He's a pretty big God.
10. Being Ignored or Forgotten. You never need to worry that God doesn't hear you or has forgotten about you (Isaiah 49:15-16). Just like in No. 8 above, God is your SHIELD as you ask for His blessings, by faith. He will not allow anything to come into your life that is not absolutely best for you. Sometimes a "no" answer means "Wait, the timing isn't yet right." Sometimes it means "Not this...I have something far better." And sometimes it means "I am protecting you by with holding this, even though you may never understand." Sometimes, God's best gifts to us are the very things He withholds. When God's gift is "no" you can be assured He is still God. He is still good. And He still has your best at heart.
Do you still worry about something that is – or is not -- on this list? Could it be that if you give it to God you won’t need to worry about it at all? Philippians 4:6-7 tells us:
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (NLT).
There really is truth in praying about it and experiencing His peace in return.
Cindi McMenamin is a national women’s speaker and author of more than a dozen books, including When Women Walk Alone (more than 120,000 copies sold), When a Woman Overcomes Life’s Hurts, and her most recent, When God Sees Your Tears. Cindi and her husband, Hugh, a former pastor, live in the San Diego, CA area with their grown daughter. For more on Cindi’s ministry, or for free articles to strengthen your soul, marriage, or parenting, see her website: www.StrengthForTheSoul.com or connect with her on Facebook.
Publication date: August 11, 2015