One of my least favorite things to experience is unnecessary drama. Maybe you feel the same way, but have you ever stopped to consider where the drama in your life is coming from? During certain seasons of life, I have to confess that I was the source of drama for others. I can remember causing my parents a considerable amount of stress during a rebellious streak in my youth. I can also clearly remember seasons of conflict as an adult that were heightened by the way I chose to respond to them. But at present, most of the drama I'm experiencing in my life seems to be coming from outside experiences and relationships.
In my life, I've experienced cultural drama, personal drama, relationship drama, family drama, and even some church drama. And when I'm in the midst of my own personal pity parties, I have sometimes lamented to myself, "Why can't everyone just calm down? Is it really necessary to get people worked up like this, and why do these issues keep getting dumped at my feet? Stop making your drama my drama!" Then, when I'm finished whining to myself, I laugh and remember that I'm not as innocent as I like to convince myself I am.
Years ago, I remember a friend of mine describing the sick feeling he would get every time he drove to church. His church was in serious decline and was experiencing a high degree of conflict, and every time he arrived at the church property, he'd get an upset stomach as he waited to discover "whatever shoe was going to drop that week." Eventually, things turned around at the church, but he confessed to me that it took years for his internal reaction to change.
I remember going through a season that felt rather similar to that. Years ago, I had experienced several trials in a row, and I was feeling absolutely exhausted. As some of the problems were beginning to resolve, I started worrying a lot about what new surprises might be coming next. I let it consume my thinking and rob me of joy when a better solution was right in front of my face the whole time. I didn't need to worry. I needed to practice trusting the Lord for the things that I could not yet see just as I was able to trust Him for the things I could see.
The writer of Psalm 112 had this in mind as well as he wrote verse 7. In that passage we're told, "He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord." (Psalm 112:7)
A person of unshakable character doesn't need to spend their life fearing what may or may not happen next. Yes, there will be difficult seasons and unexpected trials, but there will also be delightful moments in our lives. Most of the things we worry about never take place anyway, and the Lord gives us His strength to handle the issues that actually do occur.
Have you ever wondered just how much of our lives are being spent allowing our minds to dwell on potential future problems that won't even happen? I suspect it's a considerable amount. If you're a parent, you've probably spent countless hours working through "what-if" scenarios regarding your children's lives, right before bed or in your other quiet moments. How much more productive could those moments have been if you used them to read Scripture, pray, or keep a journal of the many blessings God has shared with you?
One of the major lessons the Lord wants us to learn in life is to trust Him. No matter what our circumstances may be, we're called to remain confident that our lives and our futures are held securely in His hand. Frankly, it doesn't make much sense to tell Him in one breath that we love Him, but in the next breath that we don't believe He's orchestrating a perfect plan regarding the lives He blessed us with and sustains by the power of His word.
Through faith in Jesus, we've been graced with His peace, and He wants us to utilize it in the moments when we feel strong and in the moments when we're feeling weak or worried. Consider what Jesus said in the gospel of John when He explained, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." (John 14:27)
This world doesn't understand real peace. When the world offers peace, it's circumstantial and seems to be primarily tied to an absence of conflict. But the peace Jesus offers transcends our circumstances. His peace puts our minds and hearts at rest. His peace allows us to remain confident in Him even when our circumstances seem out of whack. His peace allows us to take a deep breath and say, "This circumstance might be messy right now, but it's all going to resolve, and when I look back at it from the perspective of eternity, I'm going to be extremely grateful for every element of it."
The kind of peace Jesus offers is a peace that allows us to know that no detail of our lives has been overlooked. It reminds me of what was said of the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31:21. That passage tells us, "She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all in her household are doubly clothed." (Proverbs 31:21, CSB). The virtuous woman in that passage paid attention to the details. She looked after her family. She was prepared for bad weather or other issues that might arise, so there was no need to spend a moment of time worrying.
Are we prepared for the unexpected? I think part of what Christ is trying to help us understand is that He is our preparation. If we have Him, we have everything we ultimately need. We can trust Him to guide us through unfamiliar waters because no detail of the journey He's taking us on has been overlooked.
But Scripture also gives us another perspective to consider as a contrast to help reinforce the value of trusting in the Lord. God's Word shows us multiple examples of people who chose to go their own way and trust their own wisdom instead of trusting the Lord who is wisdom personified.
One example of that failure to trust the Lord was King Belshazzar who served as the last king of ancient Babylon. Belshazzar was the son of King Nebuchadnezzar, and while he reigned, he lived it up. He thought he was the biggest deal in the world and loved to show off his riches to others by throwing opulent and irreverent parties. He even took the gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and encouraged his nobles to drink wine from them, get drunk, and praise their false gods.
While throwing one of his parties, Belshazzar got the shock of his life and he vividly displayed what it's like to live in fear of bad news.
““Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together.” ”
Did you notice the way Scripture described Belshazzar's response? The normal, healthy color left his face. He was consumed with worry and fear. He became physically weak and started shaking for fear. Later on, Scripture tells us that Daniel was summoned to interpret the writing on the wall, and Belshazzar was informed that because of his arrogance, idolatry, and failure to trust the true and living God, his kingdom was going to be taken away and his life would come to an end. In fact, that very night, Belshazzar was killed and his kingdom was given to Darius the Mede.
When our lives are examined, who do we want to resemble; a person who trusts himself or a person who trusts the Lord? The virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 or the arrogant King Belshazzar? If your desire is to be a man or woman who isn't afraid of the future because your trust in the Lord is secure, allow me to offer some encouragement on how that kind of confidence in Christ can be lived out in the present.
In Matthew 6:27, Jesus said, "And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" What was Jesus revealing to us? Anxious thinking isn't productive. It doesn't add to your quality of life, and it certainly doesn't reflect a heart that trusts the Lord, so don't let it dominate your mind.
Many people admit that their most anxious thoughts come at night when they're trying to calm down and get some rest. Recently, my wife and I made some updates to our guest room. We wanted it to be a nice place of rest when family and friends come to visit, so we painted it relaxing colors, added a comfortable chair, and purchased a nice bedspread and some new shades and curtains. Over the bed, we placed a large framed picture that has a simple statement stenciled on it. It simply says, "Give it to God, and go to sleep." I think that's a good reminder. Don't stay up all night worrying. Find rest in Jesus.
Sometimes I've wondered how world leaders handle their responsibilities, knowing that their decisions greatly impact the quality of life of millions of people. Dwight Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States and a five-star general during World War II, once quoted an unnamed university president in a speech when he said, "I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent." I love that perspective. It's just a matter of taking care of what you need to take care of when you need to take care of it instead of stewing over it or procrastinating. In a practical way, that can certainly help reduce anxiety. (https://asana.com/resources/eisenhower-matrix)
I also like what Sir William Osler once said when he encouraged people to live in, "day-tight compartments." His advice was, "Don't stew about the futures. Just live each day until bedtime."
Dale Carnegie, the famous author and business trainer, once suggested if you're overwhelmed with anxiety and struggling to concentrate, do these four things;
1. Ask yourself, "What is the worst that can possibly happen?"
2. Prepare to accept the worst.
3. Try to improve on the worst.
4. Remind yourself of the exorbitant price you can pay for worry in terms of your health.
I think that's great advice, and I try to implement these practices in my own life, but as a believer in Christ, I know that the greatest antidote to worry is never going to be found in what I do. It's found in what He has done and is doing for me.
When Jesus took on flesh and walked upon this earth, His mission was to restore what man had broken. God became a perfect man to right the wrongs of imperfect men. Man rebelled, so Jesus demonstrated perfect obedience to the Father. Man accepted deceitful counsel, so Jesus demonstrated confidence in God's Word. Man was being blinded by Satan, so Jesus opened our eyes to the truth of His gospel. Man was living in the fear of death, so Jesus defeated death by directly experiencing it then rising from it.
Every calamity that man had brought upon himself, Jesus came to overcome. In Him, our lives, futures, hopes, and purpose all find restoration. Not by the works of our hands, but through what He has accomplished on our behalf. And because Jesus holds those who trust in Him securely in His hand, we don't need to fear the future. We don't even need to fear our present-day trials, because He has promised to never abandon us. In Christ, even the bad news we once feared becomes a new opportunity for Him to demonstrate His power and perfect plan, therefore, we can approach each day with complete confidence in Him and His goodness.
““When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” ”
Through Jesus, you don't need to be afraid of bad news because His gospel is good news.
© John Stange, 2022
