Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
We choose our thoughts, as Spirit-filled followers of Christ we have self-control to decide what it is we think and meditate on. Just because we hear a whisper, have a fleeting thought, or have a problem does not mean we have to continue thinking, reflecting, or turning over those thoughts in our mind.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 says
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”
When we worry, we are not trusting God, we are putting our faith in ourselves. Doing so, will mean we fall short. God wants to care for you, but if you choose to proudly do it yourself, He will let you. 1 Peter 5:5-11 reads,
“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Matthew 6:25-34 reads,
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious”
We are commissioned to seek the Kingdom of God and we are appointed to seek God. These two things are similar. The Kingdom of God is God’s will on earth, the community of believers, and the people whom He calls to salvation. Seeking God entails knowing Him more, seeking a closer relationship with Him and allowing Him to conform us to Christ’s image. Seeking God earnestly will result in us seeking His Kingdom. Genuinely and intently seeking God grows our faith and makes it clear that every need, every other pursuit, and even our desires will be given to us.
Psalm 40:16-17 says,
“But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
17 As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!”
Seeking God is not only a state of mind, it is an active pursuit. While being busy, even serving often seems the right thing to do, seeking God is rarely if ever about busyness. Serving with the right mind-set can be seeking the Kingdom of God, but studying, fellowship, and listening at God’s feet is an active quest for more of The Lord. Luke 10:38-42 describes it this way,
“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Let the Lord take care of you! Give it all to Him, your sin, your worry, your plans, and your expectations. Be still, sit at His feet. Fellowship with The Lord. Psalm 55:22 says,
“Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.”
Psalm 37:1-7 tells us,
“Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!”
God is able! He is God! Truly you can trust in Him. Look at what He has already done. Even when the world is in turmoil, even when things seem chaotic and terrifying, you can know God has it. He is sovereign. Psalm 46:8-11 reads,
“Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”
Worrying is not honorable. Working yourself ragged trying to meet your needs is not virtuous. Trusting God is the royal attitude of a child of the King of kings. Do not worry. Have faith.