October 12, 2009
Starting Point: Bogged down at the corner of Worry and Stress
Destination: Field of Daisies
God Direction: Pack a basket of prayer, fill your tank with the Good News and then start out slowly. Be careful, if you start too fast the mud will make you spin out and then you will be stuck. Slowly speed up as you go straight ahead. There will be spots that your progress will be slowed and it will feel like you are going to get stuck, don't stop, if you do you will sink. Grab a bite out of the basket of prayer and keep going. Make sure you avoid the roadside stands along the way. Those stands are Drown Your Sorrows Bar, Forget About It Restaurant, and Heartbreak Hotel just to name a few. After you've driven for awhile the road will gradually get better and soon you will be on smooth pavement. When you think you've reach the end of your road look for the light. It stands at the corner of your next turn. When you reach the light turn right on the road of Hope. Hope will take you to the field of daisies.
Wow, those are a lot of directions. How am I going to remember them all? Besides I'm not bogged down at the corner of Worry and Stress. We all have, will, or are at the corner of worry and stress. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Worry and stress are part of the road of life. But we don't need to get stuck there. It is important that we fill up on the good news of the Bible and we pray constantly. In prayer God will remind you of the directions, He will also give us the strength and hope to keep us going. As we read, if we ask, God will show us how to apply it to our daily lives. Let's read Matthew 6:25-34
“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? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 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.”1
What is there to worry about? God promises to give us everything we need. I know it's not easy. I fully agree with you. I get bogged down with worry and stress too. But when I pray for strength, when I read the Bible and then just trust, God has always came through. It's not always the way I think He should but it is what's best for me.
Sometimes God closes doors and it is hard to cope with. But God also open doors. We need to trust and look for the open doors. Sometimes when we look the door we thought was closing is still open. Through prayer God will real to you the open door. I just watched the movie "Facing the Giants." In this movie there is a story told about two farmers desperately praying for rain. One farmer prepared his ground to receive the rain and the other didn't. Which one believed God would answer His prayer? Go through the open door and prepare your field for God to answer your prayers.
Let us Pray: Heavenly Father forgive me for not trusting You. Help me to trust You more and not worry. Give me the strength and wisdom to get through life's struggles. Show me the open doors and help me to move past the closed ones. In Christ's Name I pray, Amen.
You may also want to check out:
1The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Mt 6:25-34). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Questions, comments, email me at:
ablaue@goddireciton.com
ablaue@goddireciton.com