Love God; Stop Worrying
I read the
above statement in a daily devotional I received via email and it caught me a
little off guard. The full statement is
even more powerful: “The simple rule
of a successful life is this: Love
God and stop worrying” (Italics mine).
The thought comes from Psalm 145:20 which says, in part: “The Lord watches over all who love him…” (NIV) There is great truth here. Consider a couple of things.
Not everyone really loves God. Most people who believe that there is a God would say they probably love him to some degree or another. But to love God is to obey him; to submit to him; to honor him. We would never convince anyone that we really loved our spouse if we didn’t talk with them very often or if we ignored their interests and desires. The same is true with God.
When we come to Christ, humbly accepting his sacrifice in our place and trusting him as our only hope of salvation, we come into a new relationship with God. He becomes our father. We enter into a new sense of a love relationship with him. He loves the whole world enough that he sent Jesus here to die and provide the possibility for all to be saved, but there is a unique relationship with those who are his children by faith in Christ.
The other side of the thought in Psalm 145 is this: The Lord “watches over” this group. It could mean “guard, preserve, protect, or carefully observe.” I like the NIV translation “watches over.”
Can you think of anything more comforting; more fear-minimizing than the thought that God is watching over you continually? Young children need constant attention. They are sometimes unaware of the dangers that they could face in a variety of circumstances. This applies to many areas of their life…what they eat…chasing a ball out into the street…touching dangerous objects. Moms and dads continually “watch over” their little ones to keep them from things that would bring harm to them. When a child becomes frightened about something, their natural instinct is to turn and run to a parent and hide. They find great comfort in knowing their parents are watching over them.
The same is true of us with our Heavenly “Daddy.” When we worry about things being out of control, we are forgetting that God is watching over us. We may not understand why he has permitted this particular circumstance to perplex us so, but he has not stopped watching over us.
I can’t control most of what happens in my life. I can control my love for God. As I grow deeper and deeper in my love for him, I become more and more aware of his constant watch care over me. Do I need to worry?
Maybe the author of that statement I put at the title of this piece was right: “Love God…stop worrying.”
Take a little time to stop and rest in your “Abba, Father” today. Thank him for the constant attention he gives to you as you go through your time on earth, including the events and circumstances you are involved in right now. He is watching over you.
The thought comes from Psalm 145:20 which says, in part: “The Lord watches over all who love him…” (NIV) There is great truth here. Consider a couple of things.
Not everyone really loves God. Most people who believe that there is a God would say they probably love him to some degree or another. But to love God is to obey him; to submit to him; to honor him. We would never convince anyone that we really loved our spouse if we didn’t talk with them very often or if we ignored their interests and desires. The same is true with God.
When we come to Christ, humbly accepting his sacrifice in our place and trusting him as our only hope of salvation, we come into a new relationship with God. He becomes our father. We enter into a new sense of a love relationship with him. He loves the whole world enough that he sent Jesus here to die and provide the possibility for all to be saved, but there is a unique relationship with those who are his children by faith in Christ.
The other side of the thought in Psalm 145 is this: The Lord “watches over” this group. It could mean “guard, preserve, protect, or carefully observe.” I like the NIV translation “watches over.”
Can you think of anything more comforting; more fear-minimizing than the thought that God is watching over you continually? Young children need constant attention. They are sometimes unaware of the dangers that they could face in a variety of circumstances. This applies to many areas of their life…what they eat…chasing a ball out into the street…touching dangerous objects. Moms and dads continually “watch over” their little ones to keep them from things that would bring harm to them. When a child becomes frightened about something, their natural instinct is to turn and run to a parent and hide. They find great comfort in knowing their parents are watching over them.
The same is true of us with our Heavenly “Daddy.” When we worry about things being out of control, we are forgetting that God is watching over us. We may not understand why he has permitted this particular circumstance to perplex us so, but he has not stopped watching over us.
I can’t control most of what happens in my life. I can control my love for God. As I grow deeper and deeper in my love for him, I become more and more aware of his constant watch care over me. Do I need to worry?
Maybe the author of that statement I put at the title of this piece was right: “Love God…stop worrying.”
Take a little time to stop and rest in your “Abba, Father” today. Thank him for the constant attention he gives to you as you go through your time on earth, including the events and circumstances you are involved in right now. He is watching over you.
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