Anxieties and Concerns
Anxieties and Concerns, Anxieties and Concerns…we all have them.
There isn’t a day that goes by that each and every one of us doesn’t face circumstances that prompt us to be Anxious or situations that give us reason(s) for Concern.
Before I continue, I want to dispel any assumption that I’m addressing this subject because of the times.
Go with me:
If current gas prices were not high; if the U.S. of A.’s economy wasn’t believed/perceived to be or actually in a recession; if crime (violent or otherwise) wasn’t rampant and becoming more so by the nanosecond; if terrorism was not a top-tier topic; if wars and rumors of wars were not covering and hovering the planet; if healthcare was happening for everyone; education was excellent for all children and political appointees and candidates truly made a priority of serving people, we’d still experience Anxieties and Concerns.
This however, is normal. It is a human characteristic and tendency. Were we as human beings incapable or unable of being affected by Anxieties and Concerns, I would be most Concerned about that.
Several months ago, I asked “Jehoiada” readers to pray for my “Treasure” (a reference to my wife – see “My Treasure,” Jehoiada submission, January 13, 2008). Of those who are or may be reading my periodic attempts at writing (whoever you are), only one person actually inquired as to why I specifically made that request (thank you, John Hall).
With something as minor as that, something that may have simply been an oversight on the part of readers (again, whoever you are), I could have easily experienced Anxieties and Concerns. In truth, I was Concerned, but had no Anxieties.
I was Concerned because I assume that a significant portion of the Jehoiada site readers are personal friends, people I know personally who genuinely and sincerely care about me and my family. However, having been blessed with God’s gift of discernment and a substantial understanding of human nature, I didn’t develop any Anxieties because of that…but I did have Concerns.
Due to some preliminary health diagnoses my Treasure received (shortly before the time I requested prayer for her) she has experienced and demonstrated some Anxieties and Concerns. Though to an extent some of those diagnoses have now been determined to as harmless, there are yet others that remain uncertain, unclear and unresolved. These in turn have developed within her and our children and I as well, more Anxieties and Concerns.
Now, my family and I know God to be the Lord that provides healing for us (Exodus 15:26).
We know God to be the One who is the epitome of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3).
We know Him to have and give peace that surpasses all human reasoning (Philippians 4:7), to have and give love that transcends all human knowledge (Ephesians 3:19), and to possess and issue a pure quality of mercy that lasts forever (Psalm106:1). On top of that, we are assured and certain that He can do anything and everything exceedingly and abundantly far above all we could ask for or think of (Ephesians 3:20).
We believe Him, trust Him and strive as best as we are able to do to obey Him by His Word (the Bible). And yet, even with all that totally valid assurance and certainty of who He is and what He is capable of accomplishing on our behalf, we still have deficiencies and shortcomings in the area of believing and trusting Him…maybe you can identify. At a minimum, we’re definitely like the account of a Dad in the Bible that told Jesus, “Lord, I believe You (what You say and do), but I need you to help me in the area of my life that I recognize pays attention to the devastating effects of doubt that grow from my uncertainty.” (Mark 9:24: extensive paraphrase – mine).
The Bible states that anything that is not of faith – that’s not of complete trust and reliance in God, is sin (Romans 14:23). Like the Dad in Mark’s Gospel passage, I know I’m guilty of that regularly. You may be able to identify.
But what I have learned and can say with unprecedented assurance is that we have got to trust God for every area of our lives even when we recognize we’re being attacked by or embracing doubt. I’ve also found out that doing so often takes great individual effort and work.
So, during those regular and often times of our human existence, we must determine we’re going to trust Him and work toward that end no matter how overwhelming our situation looks or appears to be.
That is because God is the answer, cure, deliverance and solution to everything, even our Anxieties and Concerns.
Copyright © Paul Schneidmill 2008 All Rights Reserved