A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus from his book, The Way of the Warrior (p. 6). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
It seems that worry and fear don’t go with peace.
Erwin says, “Jesus tells us, ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.’ (John 14:27) With simplicity and wisdom, he cuts between the two things that steal our peace, for the greatest enemies of the peace within are worry and fear.”
He goes on, “All around me I find troubled hearts—men and women drowning in worry. We have become so adept at worrying that we have created an endless number of names to describe the nuances. Whether we use the language of stress or anxiety or find ourselves in the depths of depression or despair, worry is the source of so much of our hearts’ troubles. Worry projects a negative view of the world around us. Worry projects a negative future. Worry is an act of faith. It is a deep-seated belief in worst-case scenarios. Worry is not rooted in reality but does affect our reality.
“I’ve also found irony in these words of Paul: ‘Be anxious for nothing.’ (Philippians 4:6 NASB) I know that what he means is that we should not allow anything to make us anxious, but the truth is that it is usually nothing that is making us anxious. Our anxiety, our distress, our worry—when stripped to its very essence—is rooted in nothing, or at least in nothing we can control. Paul’s solution, of course, is to be anxious in nothing, but in all things, through prayer, we should bring our thanksgiving to God. (Philippians 4:6) It seems he’s telling us that anxiety comes when we try to control things that are out of our control. We become anxious because we haven’t learned to trust.
“It is interesting that in another place where Jesus speaks of peace, he brings up trouble once more. Here he says to his disciples, ‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.’ (John 16:33)”
He then says, “This is an important contrast... he says to us, ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled,’ but then he says to us, ‘In this world you will have trouble.’ We have no control over the reality that in this world we will have trouble, but we have control over whether we decide to allow our hearts to be troubled. He makes the promise that though there will be trouble in this world, we can take heart, for he has overcome the world. Our worry will steal our peace, and when peace is missing, we find ourselves drowning in anxiety and crumbling under the weight of life’s pressures.”
So, what are your worried about this morning, what trouble are you in? Will you turn to God? Will you?
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