Having problems with worry and doubt?

Chapter Thirty-six:  

Whenever we experience difficulties in our lives it is easy to begin to worry and have doubts.  We often question our choices and the decisions we have made. We may even find ourselves tempted to doubt God and His interest in our lives.  Scripture warns us that we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).  We usually think of this verse as referring to either serving God or money. But it can be looked at another way...we cannot serve two masters, ourselves and God. As long as we try to serve two masters, doubt and confusion will reign. If we do not have complete reliance upon God, then we are trying to take over the authority of God for our own selfish purposes.  When we obey God, we feel at peace.  When we obey ourselves, we lose that peace, and doubt and worry enter.  

John Newton said, "If your heart is like mine, it must confess, that when it turns aside from God, it is seldom through ignorance of the proper means or motives which should have kept us near him, but rather from an evil principle within, which prevails against our better judgment, and renders us unfaithful to the light already received."  He went on to say, "The Lord permits us to feel our weaknesses, that we may be sensible of it; for though we are ready in words to confess that we are weak, we do not so properly know it, till that secret, though unallowed, dependence we have upon some strength in ourselves, is brought to the trial and fails us."

We may have doubt, worry or misgiving about living up to the high standards set before us in the Holy Bible, and this is perfectly normal. We know in our heart the rebellion we fight, the wrong attitudes we allow ourselves to focus on and the pride that often appears out of nowhere, just when we think we have become more like Christ. These doubts begin when we consider things that divert our focus away from God.   

We know in our heart that we can trust God, but when it comes to everyday things such as paying the rent or having enough money for food or other necessities, doubt and worry is always lurking there, ready to cause you to question if God is "really" going to help you.  It is easy to be told by a fellow believer, "Trust in the Lord for your needs", but you are the one who has to live in your predicament.  If we are honest with ourselves, we do not doubt ourselves because we know that we are capable of providing for what we need...it is our doubts about God that shocks us and dismay us.  Our doubts really spring from the depths of our own insecurity in our relationship with Him.

We need to bring our doubts and worries before the Lord and confess them openly.  He knows you are having trouble trusting in Him and His fatherly desire to give you what you need. He understands the human heart's natural state of wanting to depend upon its own abilities.  He understands that we are finite beings who have a hard time grasping the extent of His almighty power...allow this to be the time that you reach out and trust Him.  He will never fail you, He is always, always faithful!

When you begin to entertain the "what if's" and allow doubt and fear to enter into your mind, you allow something to enter in that is not of God. You may begin to draw the conclusion that you did not hear His direction correctly or even go a step further and wonder if He has misdirected you. Being faithful to Him means stepping out even if and when it does not make sense.  If you stop and allow your mind to ponder on your own ideas, you are no longer walking in faith.  You are walking by your own thinking.  Remember, trusting God and being faithful to Him is not something you always understand in your head, or that makes sense...it is taking a deliberate step in being committed to Jesus Christ even when it does not seem to make sense. John 2:5 says, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  Besides, who else can you trust but He who created everything? 

One of the most well known Bible stories is Matthew 14: 22-31 when Peter sees Jesus walking on the water and wanted to join him.  At first Peter succeeded, but he quickly began to look around him and instantly he went under the water.  Jesus could have easily caused Peter to remain upon the water, but He knew that it was a valuable lesson Peter needed to learn.  Peter ended up being rebuked by Jesus because Peter had taken his eyes off of Jesus and had given into the actual circumstances around him. Do not allow one moment of debate to enter into your mind if God has told you to do something. Those who do great things for God are unrestrained and totally committed, regardless of the circumstances around them.   The closer your walk is with God the more difficult it will be for doubt and worry to enter.  If you spend time with Him at an intimate level it will become less and less possible to doubt Him. 

John 14:27 says, "Let not your hearts be troubled...". When you are in doubt, your sense of peace becomes shaky. However, when we are walking with Jesus we can find inner peace and calm. It is staggering that we have no doubts when it comes to our salvation, our being made righteous before God because of Jesus' work on the Cross and the fact that we can be called Sons and Daughters of the most Holy God, yet in everyday trials or even life changing situations we doubt!  Which of these takes the most trust, the most belief, the most confidence? All of our doubts are sinful and we allow our doubts and fears to continue because we refuse to build our faith and focus on God.  How can anyone who truly believes they have salvation through Jesus Christ live in doubt?  In contrast, our lives should be ones of praise and trust as a result of who we know and in whom we trust.

It is very difficult to doubt or worry when Jesus is there with us. His words, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you" (John 14:27),  gives us wonderful confidence and will put us at rest completely. His peace can cover you completely if you choose to  focus on Him and not your situation.  

No friend, no pastor, no fellow believer can bring you the solace and reassurance you seek as much as our God can. Go before God with your difficulty.  Do not go to man or other earthly authority figures. Tell Him of your troubles. But be careful...do not ask God to confirm your opinion; ask Him to make your opinion conform to His. Have no doubt in your heart when you say to Him, "Speak, Lord, for your servant hears." (First Samuel 3:9).

Do you truly believe God is not concerned about your difficulty? Psalm 136:1 tells us to, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever." His whole being can be summed up as love and His mercy is never-ending. James 1:17 reminds us that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Can you truly believe that God does not care about your difficulty? Recall Jeremiah's words in Lamentations 3:21-23, " Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." 

Isaiah 41:10 tells us, " So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

I recently came across a song called "On my knees" by Twila Paris and Dennis Jernigan.  These are the first few sentences of the song:

               "When I don't know what I need, I need to get on my knees.           

                 When waves of doubt crash over me, I need to get on my knees."

God's tender love for His children shows that He is concerned about that which troubles us. God wants us to come to Him with our doubts, worries and cares.  When you get down on your knees and let Him minister to you,  you will discover that He was already there, waiting for you.