The Testimony Of Worry

The Testimony of Worry

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7

THERE’S A REASON SCRIPTURE OVERFLOWS with encouragements and commands telling us not to fear, worry, be anxious, or be alarmed. Fallen human beings who can’t see God with natural eyes are prone to all these troublesome attitudes. Sometimes we lie awake at night thinking about how a problem will be resolved. Sometimes we envision problems that aren’t even problems yet. They are possibilities, not certainties, but we find it difficult not to think about what we would do if or when they appear. Our minds have been well trained in magnifying the whys and what ifs of life. We are masters at turning hints and hunches into horrible situations, and we might even wonder if the God who has promised to take care of us actually will.

So God assures us time and again that he will. He has promised that he will deliver us out of all our troubles (Psalm 34:19). His goal is to turn our trials of faith into testimonies of his faithfulness. No matter how multiplied and unyielding our difficulties may be, they must yield to him. When we cast our faith onto him, we enter into his power over them. We become overcomers. That’s the story he has assigned to those who love and believe in him.

Worry is a false testimony. It is negative faith—the belief in something that opposes God’s will and conviction that whatever we go through will not work out for our good. People of faith simply must replace those worrisome thoughts with the assurance that God carries our burdens and delivers us. All the “do not fear” and “be anxious for nothing” commands in Scripture are not just encouraging pats on the back. They are warnings against a very unhealthy mental habit that can negatively affect our future. In reality, our future is in his hands. He has promised this. And he wants to replace every false testimony with the certainty of his goodness.

The future is as bright as the promises of God.