What we think about greatly impacts our quality of life; we can either choose to worry and fret about a situation or deal with it constructively and refuse to let it fill our minds with fear and anxiety. Worry is negative meditation on a problem, and it’s the opposite of faith. God didn’t create us to carry stress and the cares of life, and we make a mistake if we think it’s noble or admirable to hang on to something He tells us to let go of. We’re free to cast our cares on Him because He cares for us
God’s Word causes us to walk in confidence, but worry chips away at that confidence. We demonstrate true submission to what He says when we humbly hand over to Him the issues with which we struggle. Doing this ensures that we keep God in the center of our lives, to prevent us from becoming proud and self-centered. Pride goes before destruction; refusing to meditate on the negative spares us from being caught up in it.
In the Old Testament, Job’s mistake of meditating on the wrong thing opened the door to evil results. The thing he greatly feared came upon him; he admitted that he had neither safety nor rest, yet trouble came. If we slip and find ourselves stressed and fearful about something, God shows us grace by pointing out our error and redirecting us to His Word. Instead of being full of care, meditating on whatever is true, honest, and lovely brings us peace of mind that surpasses understanding.
We can be thankful that we can rest in the peace the finished works of Jesus made available to us. When worry and stress come knocking at the door, we don’t have to answer it. It may take effort on our part to avoid negative meditation, but God keeps His promise to us when we labor to enter into His rest.
Prayer:
Lord, we can walk in fear or walk in faith, but meditating on Your Word gives us peace of mind. You didn’t create us to live in worry or anxiety, and You tell us to give to You what’s too heavy for us to carry. Thank You for taking our burdens. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Scriptures:
- 1 Peter 5:7
- Proverbs 16:18
- Job 3:25, 26
- Philippians 4:6-8
- Hebrews 4:11