Worry is our attempt to control outcomes and situations. This makes worry a very large idol in our lives. We stop seeking God first and give ownership of our mind and emotions over to the desire to have more and be more. Since having and being more is an endless desire, this leaves us in a perpetual state of worry about things that in all reality are out of our control anyways.
Worry hinders my ability to obey God and therefore I sprint towards things that I feel will alleviate the worry. I make my own plans. Plans that involve things that make me feel safe and secure, numbing the worry that lurks around my thoughts. The bottom line is simply this: worry happens when I seek the created rather than the Creator. God wants you and I to seek Him, not money, popularity, success, family, or possessions. He states over and over again that He is all that we need. He wants us to be content with what He has given us rather than always striving for more. We are to seek Him first, to share our concerns with him first, to seek His direction, and the next step that He would have us take.
So how do we give Him our concerns? How do we live seeking Him first? It all starts by spending time, alone, undisturbed, in His presence. Not in your car, not while exercising; in solitude.
Worry hinders my ability to obey God and therefore I sprint towards things that I feel will alleviate the worry. I make my own plans. Plans that involve things that make me feel safe and secure, numbing the worry that lurks around my thoughts. The bottom line is simply this: worry happens when I seek the created rather than the Creator. God wants you and I to seek Him, not money, popularity, success, family, or possessions. He states over and over again that He is all that we need. He wants us to be content with what He has given us rather than always striving for more. We are to seek Him first, to share our concerns with him first, to seek His direction, and the next step that He would have us take.
So how do we give Him our concerns? How do we live seeking Him first? It all starts by spending time, alone, undisturbed, in His presence. Not in your car, not while exercising; in solitude.
Start by taking five minutes a day and find a quiet place. Begin by simply talking to God about your worries. Be specific if you have to. Ask Him to bring to mind all the ways that He has sustained you in the past. Let Him built trust in your heart. Then ask Him for His peace. Lastly, just sit. Think about His greatness. Listen(yes He will speak!) Thank Him in advance for His perfect peace, His goodness, and for the ways that He will provide.
“I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.”
Jeremiah 10:23 ESV
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