“I hope X happens, so then we don’t have to worry about Y happening.”
I was trusting in this X factor, so I wouldn’t have to concern myself with the Y outcome.
As soon as I said it, I knew I was wrong.
I don’t have to worry about Y happening,
even if X DOES happen.
I don’t have to worry.
at.
all.
Worry is a choice.
When something comes up that could cause me to worry,
I need to flip my perspective.
This situation is not an opportunity to worry.
It’s an opportunity to trust.
An ancient king illustrated this so well.
A multitude was coming against him.
He was way outnumbered.
But Jehoshaphat sought the Lord.
He admitted:
“We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”
There are circumstances in our lives that are troubling,
But we don’t have to succumb to the worry that gnaws on us.
We can fix our eyes on the Lord,
And remind ourselves of His power, compassion, and love.
Jehoshaphat prayed to God, acknowledging who He is:
Are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You.
It’s a day that will be marked in many Midwesterners’ minds. It was the day that the derecho swept through the plains. Straight-line winds toppled power lines and people were in the dark for days. The storm tore down barns and sheds. It snapped trees in half and stripped the branches of others. Roofs were damaged or blown entirely away. Millions of acres of corn bowed down to the wind.
Clean-up went on for weeks. In our town’s neighborhoods you saw piles like this:
Dried up branches.
Before the storm, their leaves had been lush and green. But after the storm, they became worthless, ready to be hauled away and burned.
Some trees still had a branch or two hanging on:
But the branch in this picture is clearly shriveled up.
It’s no longer connected to the trunk.
It lost its life-source.
The object lesson screams to be seen.
I am the vine, you are the branches. – John 15:5
Just like the branch is dry and lifeless when it’s separated from the trunk, we are helpless and hopeless without the Lord Jesus.
Shortly after the derecho, I found myself reading in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, and I couldn’t help making some parallels.
First, some background:
Jehosheba, a royal princess, and her husband Jehoiada, a priest of the Lord, rescued their baby nephew Joash. He was the heir to the throne, and his evil grandmother Queen Athaliah wanted to kill him. Jehosheba and Jehoiada hid Joash in the Lord’s temple for years until the people were able to crown him king.
Joash was a good king. He did right in the sight of the Lord. He repaired the temple that had been ransacked by idol worshippers and he started the sacrifices again. Jehoiada, his “adopted” father, influenced and guided him in the ways of the Lord. Joash did what was right for all the days of Jehoiada.
But when Jehoiada died, other officials came and bowed down to Joash. They had a different agenda, and Joash listened to them, instead. Joash followed their advice and abandoned the Lord, turning to serve idols.
This was devastating to Joash and his kingdom. Doing life on his own brought painful consequences. Even when the Lord sent prophets to call Joash back to him, he wouldn’t listen. He went as far as to murder Jehoiada’s son, his own cousin, who tried to tell him to come back to the Lord. Enemy armies came to destroy Joash’s kingdom, and in the end, his own servants conspired to murder him.
Jehoiada’s name means “knowledge of the Lord”. When Joash was separated from Jehoiada, he shriveled up like those broken branches. He no longer received the support and guidance that he needed to follow the Lord.
It brings me back to John 15 – the vine and the branches.
Jesus is our “Jehoiada” – our Knowledge of God. Jesus is our life-source. He is the one that gives us what we need to thrive. His Spirit guides and influences us and causes us to bear fruit.
If we don’t abide in Him and try to break off and do our own thing, we will shrivel up and die.
Apart from Him, we can do nothing.
God is so merciful that He let Jehoiada live for 130 years – a really long life. People hadn’t lived that long since before the days of Moses. Even though Jehoiada lived a long time, he still eventually died.
That’s not the way it is for us.
Our Knowledge of God is eternal.
Jesus’ life will never end.
There is no way that He will ever stop supplying us His life, knowledge, guidance.
So, what are we doing?
Are we abiding in Jesus – seeking to know Him by spending time with Him in His word?
Or are we trying to live life on our own – independent of our life source?
If we break away, it won’t be long before we see ourselves shrivel and dry up.
Stay connected.
Abide in Him.
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Something comes out of nowhere and hits you like a suckerpunch.
A car wreck.
A diagnosis.
A pink slip.
An exploding relationship.
Maybe there were warning signs, but you missed it.
This disaster caught you off guard, and you’re terrified of it.
There are two ways to react to sudden fear:
Look to God, or try and solve it on your own.
King Asa is a prime example.
For the first ten years of his reign, there was peace in Judah.
Suddenly, the Ethiopian army of a million men surges against his kingdom.
Asa had never experienced anything like this before, but he knew who to turn to:
Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength;
so help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude.
O LORD, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.”
2 Chronicles 14:11
King Asa felt helpless, but he knew that God was able to help.
God did deliver Asa, and his kingdom ended up in better shape than before.
Fast forward 20 years.
There had been 2 decades of peace – no war, no threats.
Suddenly, Asa’s rival, the king of Israel, captures an important city and begins to cut off Judah’s supply routes.
Out of nowhere, disaster hit.
This time, King Asa forgot how the LORD had helped him.
Instead of calling on God, he turns to an enemy king for help.
He asks the king of Aram to attack Israel so that they would stop attacking Judah.
Asa takes treasures out of the house of God and gives them to the king of Aram as payment.
Risky move.
But it worked.
Aram attacked Israel, and Israel left Judah alone.
Asa must have felt pretty pleased with himself.
He got ‘er done.
Disaster averted.
Then a prophet comes and tells him that he messed up big-time.
If he had relied on God instead of the enemy king, he would have triumphed over all his enemies.
Instead, he will have continual war the rest of his days.
King Asa gets angry at this message from God, and throws the prophet in prison.
He doesn’t humble himself and repent.
He ends his days miserably, with an incurable disease in his feet.
Even in his sickness, he seeks the help of physicians and refuses to seek the Lord.
Do not be afraid of sudden fear
Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes;
For the LORD will be your confidence
And will keep your foot from being caught.
Proverbs 3:25-26
The first time disaster struck, Asa responded the right way.
The Lord was his confidence.
The second time, Asa responded the wrong way.
He depended on someone else, and his foot was (literally) caught for the rest of his days.
When sudden fear comes, we don’t have to be afraid.
We can be confident of the Lord’s protection and help in the midst of a distressing situation.
If you’re going through something dark right now, make it a point to continually remember all the ways He has helped you in the past.
Don’t forget how strong He is, and how delighted He is to come to our rescue when we call on Him.
He is our confidence.
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