Emotions

Confidence To Face The Future

You never see a bird carrying a pocket calendar and a list of things to do. You never see a bird sigh, throw his wing across his feathered head in exasperation, and say, "What if there are no worms tomorrow? Where will I go? What will I do?"

Now we all know that birds are not people. God did not create them with a human soul, a human mind, and a human spirit with which to have a personal relationship with Himself. Birds simply could not worry if they wanted to; they don't have the ability.

Yet when Jesus talked to the crowds that day from the mountain, He gave us this comparison: Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span? . . . Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:26-34)

Jesus knows that we have great capacity for worry, and He chose a creature who does not know any better to be a lesson in anxiety-free living. He wants us to live before God with simple trust, knowing with absolute certainty that He is our perfect provider.

So how do you get there? How do you take the stresses of the day, the threats of bad things to come, and the confusion of whirling circumstances and behave calmly, as though nothing were going on?

Certain philosophies in popular psychology books and self-help seminars advocate a "don't worry be happy" attitude based on a change in your personal perception. In other words, a problem isn't really a problem if you only look at it in the "right" way, and if you find a way to use a negative situation for your own benefit. Those who adopt this mind-over-matter principle are in for a rude awakening, however, when they eventually confront a problem they cannot deny or change.

Why? In this fallen world, problems are real. Sin is rampant, and its effects are everywhere. But God intends for problems to drive us to Him and to His resources, not further away from Him as we flounder about on our own. You don't have to behave like a problem-free, pie-in-the-sky, terminally "happy" person. Such a lifestyle isn't real.

In his book Inside Out, Larry Crabb explains that sometimes our denial of reality reflects a hidden mistrust of God: "Beneath much of our claim to orthodoxy, there is a moral cowardice that reflects poorly on our confidence in Christ. We trust Him to forgive our sins and to keep us more or less in line as a community of decent people, but is He enough to deal with things as they really are?

"Do we know how to face the confusing reality of a world where good parents sometimes have rebellious children and bad parents produce committed missionaries? Can we plunge into the disturbing facts of life and emerge, as the writer of the seventy-third Psalm did, with a renewed confidence in God and a deeper thirst for Him? . . .

"There is something terribly attractive about knowing what to do to make things better . . . Nothing is more terrifying than staring at a problem for which we have no solutions under our direct control . . .

"God wants to change us into people who are truly noble, people who reflect an unswerving confidence in who He is that equips us to face all of life and still remain faithful. Spirituality built on pretense is no spirituality at all. God wants us to be courageous people who . . . look honestly at every struggle, who feel overwhelmed by what we see, yet emerge prepared to live . . .

"Only when we commit our yearnings for perfect joy to a Father we have learned to deeply trust are we free to live for others despite the reality of a perpetual ache."

That is the kind of faith to which the Lord calls you for today and for all your tomorrows. The future is not a frightening, nebulous cloud when you truly understand that He is in control and is working all things together for your good. (Romans 8:28) Trusting Him for tomorrow doesn't mean that nothing negative will occur; it means that He will give you the grace, strength, endurance, and hope you require to move through that time and still bear testimony to His goodness.

How do you maintain this perspective on trust? It's not a "natural" way to approach life, even after you have trusted Christ as your Savior. Building faith in God is a step-by-step daily process, for which there are no formulas for success. Trusting God is an outgrowth of knowing Him intimately. Faith is an outgrowth of a relationship. Cease to nurture that relationship and draw near to Him, and you begin to shake your experience of confident faith.

That is why Jesus lovingly pointed out to Martha, on His visit to Bethany, that her priorities were in the wrong place. (Luke 10:38-42) Can you imagine the scene? Jesus has come for a visit, and there is so much to be done, especially preparations for the meal.

Martha is in the kitchen, trying to pull everything together. If there ever was a time when a sister came in handy, it was that moment—and Mary is sitting out listening to Jesus without a care in the world. Maybe Martha went into the other room and gave her one of those "Get in here, now" looks she thought Jesus didn't see. Or perhaps she made a little extra noise in the kitchen to give Mary a hint.

Finally, she went straight to Jesus, almost as a child whining to a parent, and said: "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me."

To her surprise, Jesus didn't address that issue at all. He replied: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

What does this have to do with worry? Notice that Martha was bound up inside with anxiety. In addition to some possible personal issues, much of her tension was produced by a lack of clear priorities. Imagine how the scene might have been different if she had joined Mary at Jesus' feet for that special time, and then gone back into the kitchen refreshed. And then Mary might have been by her side helping.

Making spiritual priorities is more than just "putting Jesus first." Jesus isn't just first; He is all, and everything else falls into its natural place within the framework of fellowship with Him.

You can't feel confident about tomorrow when you are not experiencing His peace today, moment by moment as worries arise. Jesus understands that we cannot carry the burdens of even a single day. Do you remember how many times Jesus compared us to sheep? Sheep are not load-bearing animals. A sheep cannot carry anything, and it needs to be loved and tenderly led.

That is why the Lord gives you this guidance in Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (NIV).

Reach for God's peace today, trust Him with every minute, and He will unfold your life in His perfect wisdom.