In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:7 (ESV)
Series: The Gift of Faith
A winter ice-storm hit Southern Illinois on January 5, 2025 in the early morning hours. What a way to blast into a new year! Watching the ice accumulate on the tree branches, and everything else outside, started as a beautiful sight. But soon, the weight of the ice-covered branches and the winds blowing broke those tall, sturdy trees, and took down power lines all over the small towns. What looked like a pretty winter scene soon turned into dangerous, frozen conditions. In a situation like this, we have no control over how long it will last, how much damage there will be to repair, or how it will affect each household.
Not every storm or difficult situation has devastating results, but many cause us to fall into a place of worry, fear, or anxiety. In the darkest moments, or circumstances, where do you look for help? How do you keep your mind and soul from spiraling into the “what ifs”? Is there something you worry about more than anything else? Maybe your kids? Elderly family members? Your career or job situation? Retirement? We all have something that weighs on us.
As Christ followers, we have the gift of faith to see us through these hard times. As we focus on God and trust Him with the details, we have the ability to lay down our concerns, worries, anxieties, and fears. Looking to what Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-30 (ESV) gives us hope when the surrounding conditions are alarming.
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”
Look closely at the examples Jesus uses for us in this passage. He chooses birds and flowers to paint a picture of God’s love for us. I can’t help but to be drawn to His description of the birds. They have nothing else to rely on but God’s provision for them. In pleasant weather or stormy weather, they know what to do for shelter and how to find food. Jesus says our Heavenly Father loves us even more than the birds. If we believe this to be true, why do we so often rely on ourselves to figure out how to navigate the storms in our lives?
Our faith is where strength, wisdom, direction, and all we need are found. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:7 that we can cast all our anxieties upon God because He cares for us. This means God has given us the capacity to release those things weighing us down. God is not the source of anxiety, but the source of peace, confident assurance, and rest. God never intends for us to suffer in this place of worry. Satan loves it when we are anxious because it takes our focus off of God and places it on the problem or difficulty. If I dwell on the anxious thought, I begin to doubt that God will help me with it. We may have an excellent reason for what is keeping us up at night, but if we cling to the promise that God will provide every need—we will cast it upon Him and let Him handle it.
Later in the passage, Jesus gives us the answer to release this worry. He says we should seek first the kingdom of God and all our needs will be added to us. He specifically points out we must not live for “tomorrow” today. Tomorrow will have its own trouble, and He will be with us then as well.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:33-34 ESV)
Sisters, don’t allow the enemy to steal your peace or challenge your faith. Remember all the ways God has provided for you in the past. Dwell on the truth of God’s word, and your faith will be strengthened. Even the birds trust their Creator for what they need today, and you are even more valuable to Him.
Holding Fast to Hope,
Jen
Scripture References: Psalm 4:7; Matthew 6:25-34; Luke 12:22-31; 1 Peter 5:7; Romans 14:17; Philippians 4:6-7; John 10:10