Joshua Ellis
11/19/08
The day and age in which we live has succeeded in creating an entire culture of independent, self-reliant and extremely determined people. Our culture has taught us that the only person you can count on is yourself. It has also toughened us up in the sense that we are constantly trying to solve our own problems. These qualities are admirable as long as they don’t get overused, because then we begin to rely on ourselves more and God less. Exactly how many of your problems do you try to handle and how much do you surrender to God?
Some have said that if you are worrying, you are not trusting God. Though this may sound a bit harsh, it is the truth (Philippians 4:6). We lie in bed every night and think of all of our problems. We worry about our families, our jobs, money and many other things. We are trying to think of a way to fix our problems when we should be praying and asking God to help us. We should be trusting that God will take care of all of our needs. Jesus said that if we ask, it will be given to us (Matthew 7:7-8), and we need to realize that when we ask God for help, we should not worry ourselves any longer.
There are many examples in the Bible of those who exemplified astounding trust. One of the most memorable examples is that of Paul and Silas in the jail at Philippi (Acts 16:22-26). They had been apprehended by the multitude, stripped of their clothes, beaten with rods and thrown in prison. This could definitely be a time of fear and worry as their future was beginning to look grim. However, instead of worrying and being afraid, they were singing hymns and praises to God. They trusted that God would deliver them from their captivity and so He did.
Another example of trust is found in the poor woman who gave her last two mites to the temple treasury (Luke 21:1-4). She had nearly nothing in the world and that which she did have, she gave back to the Lord. She neither complained that she was poor nor that she was most likely giving away her only chance for food the next day. She trusted in God and knew He would take care of her just as He takes care of us.
If we can look at examples like this and see people who fearlessly turned to God in their hour of need, we should be able to see that this is what ought to do. We should instead surrender our worries and know that, if we are doing God’s will, He will take care of us. Though we may not always have every one of life’s luxuries, we will have what is truly important and that is enough.