Someone paid me a compliment yesterday. They said that they have never seen me worried about anything. This hit me hard and caused me to stop to reflect on the truth of her statement. I replied that while I worry frequently, I determine inside not to let the worry control me.
But after the conversation was over, I was still distracted by her comment. First, something in the way I hold myself publicly gave her the impression that I am not a worried man. The notion that I am not worried about things is ludicrous. I worry about how the bills are getting paid. I worry about whether my wife and I will ever have a retirement fund. I worry about our adult children and the course of their lives. I worry that I may have bitten off more than I can chew as a new pastor. I worry about my health. The list goes on and on; I worry about a great many things.
Second, I don’t think I properly responded to her comment. I gave her the impression that through some sheer force of will, I refuse to let worry take control me. The reality is that a lot of the time, the reason I may not seemed consumed with fear over all I mentioned above is that I am pretty good at ignoring my problems. If you’re not thinking about that which causes you to worry, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are in control. It might only mean you’re good at not paying attention.
This morning, a psalm came to mind, and I went to dwell on it. David writes, “I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.” I do not know what it is like to have multiple people groups eager to kill me and all the people I love, but I can imagine how full of fear I would be if such a thing was true. Yet, David says that he will not fear. That is difficult to understand. In fact, in other psalms, David writes how very afraid he often was, so perhaps in this psalm, he is in a way giving himself a pep talk. Whatever the case, the reason he is not afraid is because he regularly calls out to the Lord who sustains him. Because of the Lord, David can sleep and wake up like a normal man, even though thousands want him and all of Israel dead.
I would encourage you to dwell on these words today. Whatever you are facing, the Lord is ready to answer you from His holy mountain. He will sustain you through the most difficult of predicaments. Call out to Him. When it seems like He is not answering, do not lose heart; His plans are often peculiar, but always perfect.