fretting | Thoughts About God

God is Satisfied

Devotionals — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 09:03:56 +0000

GOD IS SATISFIED

We stand confused.
He is not.

Circumstances spin out of control.
He’s right on schedule.

Life aches.
He has a purpose.

We fret.
He is calm.

God is not pacing the floors, wondering what’s going on, biting His fingernails, or dissatisfied with our lives and the world in general.

He is often grieved, I’m sure. But He’s never surprised. Never caught off guard. Never strategizing to see how He’s going to smooth out what’s been made crooked now.

His perspective is different from ours.

His ways are higher. God’s at peace.

And He’s satisfied.

One Puritan writer explained it this way.

Our lives seem like a jagged race—a fretful sprint from pillar to post. But at the end of the race, we will turn around and look back.

And all we’ll see is a straight line.

God is satisfied.

Rest in this peace-giving truth.

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this” . . . ‘Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Do not fret.” (John 13:7; Psalm 37:7)

By Bethany Hayes
Used by Permission

Fretting is Futile

Devotionals — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 09:01:49 +0000

“You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.” Matthew 6:27

No one has to remind you of the high cost of anxiety. (But I will anyway).

Worry divides the mind. The biblical word for worry (merimnao) is a compound of two Greek words, merizo (“to divide”) and nous (“the mind”). Anxiety splits our energy between today’s priorities and tomorrow’s problems. Part of our mind is on the now; the rest is on the not yet. The result is half-minded living.

That’s not the only result. Worrying is not a disease, but it causes diseases. It has been
connected to high blood pressure, heart trouble, blindness, migraine headaches, thyroid
malfunctions, and a host of stomach disorders.

Anxiety is an expensive habit. Of course, it might be worth the cost if it worked. But
it doesn’t. Our frets are futile. Worry has never brightened a day, solved a problem,
or cured a disease.

“Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” Proverbs 3:5&6

By Max Lucado
Used by permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
https://maxlucado.com/about/

Do Not Fret

Devotionals — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 08:01:37 +0000

“Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrong doers, for they will soon wither like grass.” Psalm 37:1

Psalm 37 is filled with good advice and key words to live by. It begins by telling us not to fret, worry or be anxious about the wicked or be envious of wrong doers. The key word is SATISFACTION.

It tells us to TAKE DELIGHT in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our heart. We are admonished to COMMIT our ways to Jesus and TRUST in Him and assures us He will act.

The psalmist then gives us one of the hardest ones telling us to BE STILL before the Lord and WAIT patiently for Him, not fretting about others who prosper or carry out evil.

We are reminded that fretting leads to evil and assures us that the wicked will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord will inherit the land. The Lord laughs at the wicked and sees that their day is coming and they will perish.

We are assured that our steps are made firm by the Lord, when He delights in our way. Even though we stumble, and we all will do from time to time, we will not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand. We should depart from evil and do good.

This wonderful psalm ends on a high note assuring us that the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord, who is our refuge in our time of trouble. He helps us and rescues us. He saves us when we take refuge in Him.

The summation of the psalm is that we are to be satisfied, take delight, commit, trust, be still and wait. Knowing that the shield of the Lord is our defense against the evil of the world.

We are saved by a righteous God, in whom we can take refuge and always trust.

By John Grant
Used by Permission
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney