Written by Nicolas Anthony, Missionary to Oakdale, California
Have you ever really needed God? By that I mean, have you ever had a moment where things would have gone from bad to worse without God clearly intervening, providing, and guiding? I have. Quite honestly, I now have a few moments like that which were fully dependent on the Lord making His presence known. Through these experiences, I have learned a valuable lesson when it comes to worry, which I hope to share with you. Before getting into that, however, what does Jesus say about worry?
“Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:23-34)
When I first became a missionary, I was unemployed. I had no supporters, no source of income, and was hemorrhaging money every month. I was searching for a job but was never interviewed for any position. Many months went by, and I became desperate in my worry. I continued to apply for as many jobs as I could, knowing soon my bills wouldn’t get paid. Then, my friend suggested I memorize Philippians 4:6-7, which says “don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” I did just that. I took this set of instructions seriously and gave over my worry to the Lord, trusting He would guide me, even if I were to incur debt and lose all my belongings. I know, that last part was a bit dramatic, but my brain goes there. What followed shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did… His incomprehensible peace came over me. I had no worry whatsoever but had every reason to. My body finally rested from intense anxiety. The next day, I told the body of believers what had happened. The day after… when I was just starting the day, I got three calls within an hour from employers trying to get me hired on the spot. Before this, I had no scrap of potential work, none. The Lord provided. Never in my life had I related more to the psalm which reads “your rod and your staff—they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). He truly knows how to teach a lesson. That said, although I have other experiences such as this, I must re-learn this lesson from time to time and am far from perfect.
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