Worry - Finding Peace in Difficult Times 2

Have you ever been told to just “suck it up?”

Or maybe you’ve even told yourself that. You’ve been through something difficult and you’re afraid or confused and you brace yourself and try to be brave.

We started last week on the subject of worry.

At the root of worry, we find fear. To overcome that fear, we try to be brave, thinking that if we are brave, we can defeat it.

The thing is, bravery doesn’t replace or take away the fear in our lives; it just masks it and gives us enough strength to act.

If we want to stop living with fear, we have to replace it with something else: safety.

The opposite of being scared is being secure. We need to stop trying to be brave and start being secure in our Creator.

A great verse that will help us in our quest for security is Proverbs 3:5-6.

Proverbs 3:5–6 NKJV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

The key verses in this chapter are verses 5–6, a promise God’s people have often claimed as they have sought the Lord’s direction for their lives.

And this promise has never failed them—if they have obeyed the conditions God has laid down in verses 1–12.

God keeps His promises when we obey His commands, because our obedience prepares us to receive and enjoy what He has planned for us.

But there are conditions for us to meet in order to claim the promise in verses 5-6. Let’s begin with verses 1-4.

Proverbs 3:1–4 NKJV

1 My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; 2 For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, 4 And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.

The first condition we must meet is that we:

Learn God’s Truth

The will of God is revealed in the Word of God (Col. 1:9–10), and the only way to know His will is to study His Word and obey it.

By receiving the Word of God within our hearts, we can grow in godly character so that mercy and truth (“love and faithfulness,” NIV) become a part of our lives (Prov. 3:3; 1:9).

It isn’t enough for followers of Jesus to carry the Bible in their hands, and act religious; they must let the Holy Spirit write it on their hearts (3:3; 7:3; 2 Cor. 3:1–3). Obedience to the Word can add years to your life and life to your years.

Second, we must...

Obey God’s Will

Proverbs 3:5–6 NKJV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

“He shall direct your paths” (v. 6, NKJV) is the promise, but the fulfillment of that promise is based on our obedience to the Lord.

We must trust Him with all our heart and obey Him in all our ways. That means total commitment to Him (Rom. 12:1–2).

The word translated “trust” in verse 5 means “to lie helpless, facedown.” It pictures a servant waiting for the master’s command in readiness to obey, or a defeated soldier yielding himself to the conquering general.

The danger, of course, is that we lean on our own understanding and by doing that we miss God’s will.

This warning doesn’t suggest that God’s children turn off their brains and ignore their intelligence and common sense.

It simply cautions us not to depend on our own wisdom and experience or the wisdom and experience of others.

Abraham did this when he went to Egypt (Gen. 12:10–20) and so did Joshua when he attacked the little town of Ai (Josh. 7). When we become “wise in [our] own eyes” (Prov. 3:7), then we’re heading for trouble.

And third, we must...

Share God’s Blessings

Proverbs 3:9–10 NKJV

9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Sharing our blessings is the third condition we must meet if we want God to direct our paths.

There’s no such thing as “spiritual” and “material” in the Christian life, for everything comes from God and belongs to God.

The Old Testament Jews brought the Lord the firstlings of their flocks (Ex. 13:1–2) and the firstfruits of their fields (Lev. 23:9–14), and in this way acknowledged His goodness and sovereignty. The New Testament parallel is seen in Matthew 6:33.

If we don’t faithfully give back to God, we don’t really trust the Lord.

Of course, our tithes and offerings aren’t “payment” for His blessings; instead, they’re evidence of our faith and obedience.

Christian industrialist R.G. LeTourneau used to say, “If you give because it pays, it won’t pay.” Giving is heart preparation for what God wants to say to us and do for us. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21, NKJV).

There’s a fourth condition in verses 11-12 but we won’t go there this morning. If you’re interested in what it is, it’s Submit to God’s chastening.

As we wrap this up, being secure means we have the assurance and knowledge of being safe in Jesus’ arms.

This assurance allows us to overcome fear. We gain this assurance as we grow in our relationship with Christ.

As God becomes bigger in our lives, worry becomes smaller. As we elevate God in our lives, it helps us line up our values and put all other fears in their place.

Jesus is the only security that will keep us from fearing and worrying about the unseen. When we are secure in Christ, we don’t have to fear. When we don’t fear, we don’t have to worry.

That worry and fear are now replaced with trust.

Where fear separates, trust brings together. Where fear blurs, trust clarifies. Where fear disconnects us, trust re-engages us.

No, everything won’t make sense, but it won’t have to. We won’t have to try to make sense out of chaos, but, instead, we can trust that God is in it with us.

He will strengthen us and help us. He will hold us in His hand. He is that good. You can be secure in that. You can trust that.

Today, ask God to make you aware of the areas that you don’t find security in Christ. As you become aware of these areas, begin to allow the Holy Spirit to help you find ways to defeat the fear and replace it with security and trust in God.

I’d like to close with a few verses from God’s Word...

Isaiah 26:3–4 NKJV

3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.

And...

Psalm 56:3 NKJV

3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

Prayer...