The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith
God’s Promised Provision
“Behold the fowls of the air. For they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, oh ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or Wherewithal shall we be clothed?…for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for tomorrow for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matt 6:26-34).
Throughout our lives, Dan and I have seen God’s hand of provision, whether it is in daily needs or in traumatic events. God has promised to take care of us. Because “…we know and love our Lord Jesus Christ, we have the biblical promise of both a worry-free life and joy to accompany it.
Philippians 4:6–7 tells us:
“Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Our anxiety comes as a thief. There are two forms of worry that I call the “anxiety twins.” They are “if only” and “what if.” They steal your time, energy, peace, joy, and opportunities to grow. Don’t go there! Rest in God. Put all your anxiety and care on His shoulders (they’re big enough!), and He will give you the peace that passes understanding as He promised.
If Only
“If only” challenges you about past behaviors and choices:
- If only … I’d chosen a different career.
- If only … I had gone to college.
- If only … I hadn’t gone to college.
- If only … I had turned right instead of left I might not have been in that accident.
- If only … I had listened to Mom and Dad.
- If only … Dan had worn a protective mask that day he spread insecticide powder on the flower bed.
Don’t go there! The past cannot be changed. Our choices are permanently bonded to the past, and we humans waste a great deal of time, energy, and health trying to avoid the consequences or make those choices go away.
What If
“What if” asks these questions:
- What if … I can’t get a job when I’m done with school?
- What if … I marry the wrong man (or the wrong woman)?
- What if … I never marry?
- What if … the economy folds again and I lose my job and my house?
- What if … my children choose to follow the world instead of the Lord?
- What if … I have an accident and can’t walk, get cancer, or have any other medical emergency?
- What if I die?… That is going to happen sometime, guaranteed.
Don’t go there! The future hasn’t happened yet. We humans waste an equally great amount of time, energy, and health worrying about what will happen in the future as we do on what we would want to change about the past. The future is not in our control either.
What we can control is how we deal with trauma and change. For the Christian it is a no-brainer to choose to follow Christ and to allow God’s promises to wash over and guide us. Philippians 1:21 gives the simplest form of instruction on how to do this: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Excerpt from The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith, 2017, p. 133)
