WHY FRET?

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret — it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

Psalm 37:1-11

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Fret is an emotion all of us know all too well. You may also know it as worry, anxiety, apprehension, or fear.

We all fret about something. Maybe it’s over our finances and an economy that has seen better days. Maybe it’s over our work or the lack of it if we’re unemployed or underemployed. Maybe it’s our health and some form of injury or affliction that we or a friend or loved one has suffered. Maybe it is over a relationship gone bad, either in a marriage, in a family, or with a friend.

Indeed, the world offers us plenty of opportunities to fret and I can tell you that this is where Satan wants all of us to be. For when we are so consumed by these negative emotions, we are shackled up and unable to go forth and carry out the will of the Lord, carrying the Gospel to those who need to hear it and making disciples in the process.

There’s little wonder then why the Bible talks about fret and worry head on. Jesus spent time teaching about it during His Sermon on the Mount. Consider His words:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” The words of Jesus from Matthew 6:25-34

Jesus sought to remind us that the Lord, God our Heavenly Father, has our lives in His hands. He knows our needs before we ask Him to help and stands ready to meet those needs and care for us as His valued children, far more priceless to Him than the birds and the flowers. We are to be at peace because we are cared for by the only One who can bring us perfect peace.

So what are we to do instead of worry?

Jesus tells us to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, to seek His will and carry it out today, not worrying about tomorrow and a day that has yet to come, if it even comes at all. No future days are guaranteed so we may as well focus fully on the day at hand and what the Lord will for us to do within us. For this is the day the Lord has made and we are to rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24 NKJV) And there is no room for fretting or worry or fear or anxiety when we are rejoicing and glad. The Lord washes it away when we place our hope and trust in Him and the blessing of each day.

Paul had something to say about fret and worry and anxiety as well. Consider his word from Philippians, Chapter 4:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

I’ve always viewed this passage as God’s prescription for fret, worry, anxiety, fear, and stress. It’s so fundamental and always effective if we just have the prescription filled at the window of the Lord’s heavenly pharmacy. Here’s how this passage speaks to me and I pray you as well:

First of all, God is with us, the God who made the heavens and earth, and everything within them, including us. Think about the power of God. Frankly, it’s unfathomable. That’s how incredibly majestic He is.

So now consider that this amazingly powerful, omnipotent God is for you and me. He is Emmanuel, God with us and He wants the best for us, His children. This is what Jesus was getting at. If God can take care of the birds and flowers as He does, how much more would He take care of us, the ones He values above all?

And so why do we fret when we have God with us and for us? Is He not capable of handling anything we are going through?

This is what God’s word is saying to us from Philippians, Chapter 4. Don’t be anxious about anything. This means don’t fret, don’t worry, don’t be afraid, and don’t stress about anything. Period.

God is with us. We are to trust Him with the knowledge that with Him all things are possible. We are to present our requests to God with prayer and petition, laying our burdens at the foot of His throne for He is able to take them on. He has the strength we don’t have. We need to know and trust in that.

So what happens when we trust God unconditionally, when we unload the matters of life that make us fret, when we let go of them and allow God to take them on?

We find peace, and not just any peace. We find the peace that transcends all understanding. This is because the peace we find is not a worldly peace. It is a peace straight from the Father Himself, a perfect peace only He can grant.

Indeed, you can’t find that peace in yourself. You can’t find that peace in a spouse or family member or friend. You can’t find that peace in a psychiatrist or counselor or even in a pastor. No, the only way to gain a peace that endures is to find and seek that peace from God, the only One who can remove your fret and wash away your concerns.

Do you see this in the Word of God today? Is it speaking to your heart, mind and soul? The Lord is moving powerfully through His word and wants us to receive it.

Now look at the words of David at the start of the 37^th Psalm. His writing only reaffirms what the other scriptures have been saying: we need not fret because God is with us. Look at these verses from the psalm:

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret — it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

David’s words echo the wishes of the Father and pierce our stubborn reliance on ourselves or others to solve our problems. Consider these messages from this scripture passage:

- Don’t fret but instead trust God.

- Don’t fret but instead dwell in God and enjoy a safe and peace-filled pasture.

- Don’t fret but instead have faith and delight in the Lord who can do all things, who is willing to give you the desires of your heart in accordance with His will.

- Don’t fret but instead commit your way to the Lord who will always lead and guide you the right way, making your righteousness shine like the dawn.  

- Don’t fret but instead be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him in the faith that He has everything under control.

- Don’t fret and refrain from anger or wrath or evil but instead remain meek and reliant on God’s help for as Jesus confirmed the meek will be blessed and inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).

Friends, if God is for us, who or what can stand against us? (Romans 8:31) The God of all things is ready to help you, to take the concerns you have and handle them, freeing you to carry out His will and way in life. The Lord wants us to be liberated to do His Kingdom work here on earth but we can’t be preoccupied with our problems and hope to do that. This is why God wants to help us. We just need to let Him.

So what are you worried about today? What are you afraid of today? What is bringing you anxiety today? What are you stressed over today?

God is ready to receive it all from you in prayer and He knows your needs before you even ask. He just wants you to show you trust Him and have faith in His ability to do all things.

Won’t you give Him your matters today and enter into His perfect peace? For He is with you, so why fret?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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