On a Sunday afternoon, I sat on the couch near a couple of my kids. They were reading library books and I was reading my Bible. More accurately, I was sitting there with my open Bible on my lap. I had been reading in 1 Peter but had stopped to take time for the all-important task of worrying.
What was I worried about?
A better question is what was I not worried about?
There wasn’t really anything off the table of worry. I worried about my children, their schooling, my marriage, our home, my schedule, our future, our health, our relationships. Did I leave anything out? No, that pretty much sums it up.
My heart brimmed with worries, fears, and “what if” questions, making my soul feel heavy and dull.
Then the Holy Spirit worked this question into my mind: “Has Jesus ever failed you?”
Tears came to my eyes.
I thought of painful relationships.
Did Jesus fail me then?
I thought of the many difficulties of Jonathan’s Ph.D. journey.
Did Jesus fail me then?
I thought of my miscarriages.
Did Jesus fail me then?
I thought about times of financial uncertainty.
Did Jesus fail me then?
Jesus takes his children through times of pain and suffering.
But he has promised not to leave them.
He has promised not to forsake them.
He has never failed me.
When you face times of uncertainty, your natural reaction might be to worry about the potential problems and (if you’re like me), imagine a few worrisome situations. Instead, fix your mind on the question, “Has Jesus ever failed me?”
Think through difficult times in your life. Has God brought you through them?
Remember times he’s answered your prayers.
Think beyond your life. Sure, you can think about ways he’s led people around you. But what truly stabilizes my soul is when I think through God’s faithfulness to saints in the Bible. Of the ways he led Noah, Abraham, Joseph, and Daniel through times when their lives were anything but “normal.”
Yet God never failed them.
His faithfulness and steadfast love remained.
And he is the same faithful God today.
You can trust him. He will never fail you.
A Prayer for Today
Father, may I rest in you and not worry.
May I remember that your faithfulness is greater than any struggle I could ever face.
Give me faith to believe the truth that you are good and always do good. (Psalm 119:68)
May I love you enough to trust through uncertainty.
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