Trusting God in worrisome times

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Photo by Jackson David on Unsplash
Photo by Jackson David on Unsplash
The antidote to spiritual amnesia is to remember, to reflect on what God has done in your life.

Corrie ten Boom once said, “Worry is like a rocking chair. It keeps you moving, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”

There’s plenty of opportunity to worry and be fearful these days. Society has ground to a halt in very real ways. And yet, the world around us still seems hectic and chaotic.

The more we’re immersed in uncertainty, the more likely we are to develop “spiritual amnesia.” That’s what author Lee Strobel calls the worry and anxiety we feel over the unknown because we’ve forgotten everything that God has done for us in the past.

Remember when the Hebrews said to Moses – and by extension to God, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?” (Exodus 14:11).

At the time, the Hebrews were standing at the edge of the Red Sea with Pharaoh and his army bearing down upon them. The Hebrews believed they had every excuse to worry … even though God had supernaturally delivered them just a short time before.

The antidote to spiritual amnesia is to remember, to reflect on what God has done in your life and to channel your gratitude into trust in who He is and His love for you.

The prescription for this is found in Philippians 4:6-7, which says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

In other words, pray. But pray with a living hope, one that’s rooted in the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For, you see, Jesus doesn’t merely point us to answers, He demonstrated through His death and resurrection that He is the answer.

As world-renowned Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias says, “Intellect alone cannot help us navigate minefields of pain and suffering. Other worldviews offer intellectual answers as well. Christianity alone offers a person.”

In this time of isolation and uncertainty, that, friends, is our living hope.

In closing, I hope your time of social distancing is creating opportunities for family bonding. Our family enjoys playing board games, and I’ve been building model cars with my son Troy recently. But if you’re experiencing fear or distress, please give our counsellors at Focus on the Family India a call at +91 9603693480.

© 2020 Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. Originally published on FocusOnTheFamily.com

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