Are You Anxious?
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your
life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is
not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes…?
But seek first
his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25, 33-34)
What
is consuming your thought these days? What is it that you seem to be focused
on? What is it that you are fearful that He may not provide? You might say,
“I’m just being cautious,” but are you? What does your heart reveal?
I
had only recently convinced Alice to join me in planting a church in the
interior of Alaska. A land of long,
Village Preaching
dark
winters, and temperatures down to -60F; not to mention the hordes of mosquitoes
in the summer. In 2001, I received an
email from a gentleman in India asking that I come and preach to his
people. My first thought was of Paul’s
Macedonian call written about in Acts 16:9.
I told Alice about the email, and she freaked out. She said, “India! I don’t go to third world countries. There’s disease, and unbearable poverty, and I
won’t be able to help. And besides, it’s
probably just a scam anyway!”
After
she calmed down, I suggested she allow me to email him back for more
information. So, after much prayer, many
letters and phone calls, and two years later, she finally gave in and we
boarded a plane on our first trip to the sub-continent of exotic India.
Some
people are so fearful, so anxious that they never go anywhere or do anything.
Others are constantly on the move because they are afraid of staying still,
fearful that they might miss something. You would think that those who have
decided to go on a mission trip would be people of faith and not the anxious
type.
But
let me tell you something, the groups that I have led and been a part of are
usually divided in equal parts: half filled with faith and half that are filled
with fear. I don’t know which would best describe you, but if you are of the
faith group then strengthen those that are weak. If you are of the fearful
group, then get close to those who are not and listen to the words of the One
who is constantly saying “Fear not!”
The
fact that God is often saying, “Fear not,” means that He doesn’t abandon the
fearful. Instead He calls them to go deeper and farther with Him. He invites
them to join Him in a journey that He knows is fearful to them. He doesn’t tell
them to stay home, but invites them to come along.
Praying with Lepers
Walking
with Him in a journey like this has a way of turning people that are generally
anxious and fearful into people of faith.
During that first trip to India, God captured our hearts for the Indian
people, and we began a ten year ministry which included the founding of a new
mission organization: Asia International Mission.
May
this be said of you, and may it be evident in your life today.
“Be
anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6, 7)
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