Today’s devotion builds on the thoughts from Sunday’s Sermon – Week 6 of “Fan or Follower – Worry Less” (LISTEN HERE).
The answer to worry is trust.
Jesus is teaching us this week that we don’t have to worry, because our heavenly Father loves us and cares for us, more than the birds of the air or the flowers of the field. He challenges our worry with the statement, “Oh, you of little faith.”
Worry is the opposite of trust. Worry indicates there is something real or perceived that I am concerned about that my heavenly Father says, “I already know you need it. I will take care of it.” Worry is a heart that is consumed with the affairs of life to the point it chokes out our trust and relationship with our Father in heaven.
So if we are NOT to worry? What is the replacement?
Trust.
But what is trust? What does trust look like?
Trust is not laziness. Trust is not doing nothing and waiting for God to do everything.
Trust is rooting my confidence in the promises and presence and provision of my heavenly Father.
The prophet Jeremiah put it this way:
Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Trust in the Lord allows us to face the challenges and difficulties of life without worry or despair. Our confidence is that the Lord will sustain us and strengthen us for whatever is present or ahead of us.
Trust is not wishing away the hardships of life, it is engaging in life without fear. Trust is not wishing God removed all challenges, it allows us to produce fruits of faith in the middle of those challenges.
Where does this trust come from?
Trust comes from watering your spirit with the Word of God. Trust is strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit as he works through that Word. Trust is feeding our heart on the promises of God so that when the challenges come (and they will), the promises of God sustain us.
The worries of life will come. Trust in the Lord will keeps your “leaves green” and your branches “bearing fruit!”
Apply: What part of this image painted by Jeremiah stands out to you today?
Prayer: Lord, keep us deeply rooted in your love so we trust you more and worry less. AMEN.