LOOKING AT WORRY WITH THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE

Worry is defined as giving way to anxiety or unease; allowing one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. Although that is true, I’ve learned another way to define it. I see worrying as taking over another person’s problem or responsibility without being asked. It means the problem in question is beyond my ability to solve and has not been assigned to me. Insisting on solving the problem is an indication that I am impersonating the One whose responsibility that problem is; I am attempting to take over God’s job. The last time I checked the want ads, only vacant positions were posted, and God’s position was not on the list. Nevertheless, even if it were advertised, nobody on this planet is qualified. 

 

All posted jobs have listed requirements, training, experience, etc.  Likewise, if God’s position were posted, the applicants would have to meet certain criteria.  So, here are the qualifications. To apply for the position, the applicant must answer ‘Yes’ to all of the following:

Have you ever spoken anything into existence? “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3 NIV).

Have you ever created any living thing? “The Lord God formed the man…and breathed into his nostrils …, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7 NIV).                                                                                                                                               

Have you ever raised the dead? “Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out’” (John 11:43 NIV). And he did!

Have you ever gone a month or more straight without slumber or sleep? “He who watches over you will not slumber, indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:3-4 NIV).

Can you see what is going on around the world, all at the same time, every second of the day? “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good” (Proverbs 15:3 NIV).

Can you tell what someone is thinking, going to say, or do before they do? “O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar…before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord” (Psalm 139:1-4 NIV).

Did you or anybody you know die, and then come back to life without seeing decay? Here’s the psalmist’s prophecy about Jesus: “My body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay” (Psalm 16:9-10 NIV).

Do you love unconditionally 100% of the time? “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? … neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39 NIV).

Do you forgive, and also forget 100% of the time? “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34 NIV).

Can and will you take on the punishment others deserve? “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8 NIV).    

How many questions were you able to answer “Yes” to? You are disqualified from taking over God’s job if you answered ‘No’ to any of the questions.

The next time you have something to worry about, ask yourself, “Am I God?” if you can honestly say ‘No’ to that question (and you can!), then it’s time to pray and turn over the problem to the One who can solve it with ease--God. He knows where all the puzzle pieces fit, and what the finished puzzle will look like. He invites all His children: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV).