Don’t Worry… Be Happy
Choose Your Yoke – Part IX
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:25-33 NLT
Key Verse: Matthew 6:27 NLT
“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”
We all know very well what the problems and trials of our lives do to us when we do not allow the grace of God to work in us… they cause us to worry!
So, when Jesus makes the case for His followers to stop worrying, He understands that we need to look at our problems and trials differently. He understands that we must develop a biblical view rather than a human or worldly view of our problems.
The first change of perspective is to remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 NLT:
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”
For us believers that sincerely and diligently seek God’s Kingdom and do our best to live like Jesus tells us to, we can trust that we have all we need to face the problems and trials of our lives.
When we allow ourselves to worry, we tell God that we do not believe that He gives us everything we need to deal with problems and trials. One of the first things that Christ-followers must change is their attitude. When problems come, there is no need to worry. God guides us and provides all we need.
A second perspective that we need when problems and trials come our way is that God uses trials to teach us more about Him and His faithfulness. How could we ever testify to God’s help and faithfulness if He never allows us to go through trials?
We must believe and trust that “God uses our trials to help us reach His highest goal for His children… that His purposes become our purposes.” (Oswald Chambers, 11/11/2022, “My Upmost for His Highest”)
When we truly grasp this, how can we whine and complain about our trials? As the Hebrew writer said:
For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in His holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. (Hebrews 12:11-12 NLT)
The two truths underlined above should transform our view of trials and problems: God’s discipline is always good. God knows that we do not enjoy it while it is happening… and that is normal. However, after we realize the good stuff that comes from God’s work in us… we will praise Him!
Father, help me to stop worrying and complaining when problems come my way. Help me practice being joyful for what You are doing in me. It may be painful but help me to stop allowing problems to rob me of my joy in You. In Jesus’s Name I pray, amen.