What's the solution to being worry-free? To being liberated from stress and
concerns?
Myriads of people look for the answer to that question, and for some reason they
find the response elusive. But then, if we rely solely on ourselves, worries
will multiply exponentially, for we cannot control every aspect of our life.
There is an answer to that question, but for some reason, even believers have a
hard time accepting it: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and
all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33, NIV2)
In other words, if we leave all our worries in the hands of our loving Heavenly
Father, if we decide to not fret about our problems, our Heavenly Dad will take
care of them!
The problem with that is that for some reason, we like to dwell on our problems,
which means no peace for us at all. However if we do succeed in making the
decision to trust solely in God and earnestly seek Him, He will come through for
us, guaranteed!
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door
will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. " (Matthew 7:7-8, NIV2)
It was like this when Pastor Raycroft prayed earnestly for the outpouring of
God's Holy Spirit over his congregation a few weeks ago. We all anticipated His
arrival, and suddenly a teenage girl came alive, dancing to the glory of God.
Never had I seen her smile so much.
After worship service we started to pray for those in need. Suddenly we heard a
cry from the front of the sanctuary. The mother of the girl who had danced
started dancing as well, just like King David did when the tabernacle was moved
to Jerusalem. She briefly stopped by her daughter and gave her a hug before once
again dancing before her loving Father in heaven.
That young girl had guts. She wasn't intimidated by the huge congregation. She
had but one goal in mind: To praise God. God inspired her to do so, and this
brought life to the old bones of her mother, as well as to the entire
congregation, who were all moved by what they were seeing. During this special
moments, all worries seem to have evaporated.
Imagine what would happen if we focused on our Heavenly Father all of the time!
We left that day knowing we had experienced the outpouring of God's Spirit. Some
were crying, others were smiling. All were beaming for they had experienced the
love bestowed on each one of us.
Now, may I ask you a question? What do we gain by worrying? Doesn't it keep us
from trusting in our caring Father?
Search and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened. God is on our side
after all. The problem is that too often we, ourselves, are not always on the
same side as God's!
Rob Chaffart
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