I don’t know what is going to happen.
Of course I don’t.
I can—and should—do all I can to have the situation come out “right,” but I should—I must—trust almighty God, who is in control of all things, and who loves me.
Oh my.
I’m still human. I don’t know the future. I can do everything I can, and the future might—or might not—be what I want.
You can fill in the blanks with your own personal issues. My specifics are really irrelevant. It is the same general dilemma for us all.
WE HAVE A CHOICE
We may be in difficult situations.
We may be facing a scary future. Or not. I don’t know. You don’t know.
We do have a choice about how to face the future and how to handle the present.
Jesus says:
Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. (John 14:1)
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (John 14:27)
If we, as children of God, are troubled, we have allowed ourselves to be.
But how can we prevent being troubled?
We have a choice between trusting God, believing the truths He has given us, OR allowing ourselves to ignore those truths and becoming mired in our own view of the issue.
When I sense I’m becoming troubled, or, even better, when I see the choice between believing God and allowing myself to become troubled, I am determined to review God’s truth.
WHAT WE DO KNOW
This is a great prompt to review what God’s children know.
We–those who believe Jesus Christ is God, died, and rose again, and who trust Him for our salvation—know:
We are God’s children. We are His beloved.
See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. (1 John 3:1)
We are Christ’s brethren.
Jesus said … go to My brethren and say to them… (John 20:17)
We are promised eternal life.
Whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. (John 3:15)
We are promised the Father’s presence, Christ’s presence, and the Holy Spirit’s dwelling within us.
You, Father, are in Me and I in You, [that] they also may be in Us. (John 17:21)
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13–14)
We are promised that Christ intercedes for us with the Father, and that the Holy Spirit prays for us in accordance with the Father’s will.
Christ Jesus … is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. (Romans 8:34)
The Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:27)
We are promised that our prayers, if consistent with who Christ is and what Christ wills, will be answered.
Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:13–14)
We are promised that God will work everything that happens to us for good, making us into the image of His beloved Son.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:28–29)
WE ARE TO ACT ON THE TRUTH
Given all that, we are responsible to act on those incredible—true—truths, and not be afraid.
It, like so much, comes down to a choice.
Do not LET your hearts be troubled.
Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. (John 14:1)
Instead of being troubled, we are to believe.
HELP!
Lord, help me. I chose to believe the truths in YOUR Word. I chose to trust You.
Help me not let my heart be troubled.
