God Math

God Math

Does worry add anything to your life? Can it add one more year, or even one day? So if worrying adds nothing, but actually subtracts from your life, why would you worry about God’s care of you? (Luke 12:25-26, TPT)

Worry versus hope is a constant battle and I know it isn’t just me.

After I woke up feeling super anxious, I studied Luke 22:12-32.  I realized Jesus was not only speaking the Truth about the care we can count on from our Heavenly Father – just as He experienced.  He was also giving us a formula to help us overcome the insidious weapon of worry.  

Worry not only doesn’t add anything to our lives, it actually takes away. Worry subtracts our ability to see the progress and the good things God has given. Worry gives us a mindset that allows us to dissect our lives into parts, and there is no quicker route to despair than to lose sight of the whole.  Worry feels like we are doing something. As we turn the situation or relationship over in our minds, then wring our hands; it feels like action. It feels like we are accomplishing something. By this kind of logic, worry seems to add something to us.  But in reality, thanks to worry, we are left with much less than what we started with.

The anecdote to worry is hope. Hope never disappoints because it is a gift from the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Hope adds to our lives but this is not a finger-crossing hope that it will all work out ok. This is not a hope based on warm fuzzies. This is hope based on the finished work of Jesus on the Cross. He became the Risen Christ and now sits in victory over all the things that worry us.  This is hope based on the experience that the Lord has provided before and He will continue to do so.  

If nothing else, you woke up breathing this morning!  

When you catch yourself standing a mental crossroads – tempted to worry and let it detract all that is good – remember the hope that adds to all that you already have.  It is Christ Jesus Himself Who is our hope of glory – the glory of God displayed in us.  Tell worry to go to hell and let heaven take hold of your heart.

Prayer Moment: Picture yourself soaking in a tub.  What anxious thoughts can the Holy Spirit wash off of you?  What past experience of God taking care of you can you draw from as you face your day, your situation?  What are you grateful for?  Journal your thoughts after your “long soak in the tub.”

Worship Moment: Put on “Be Still {Live}” by Hillsong Worship, off their album There is More. Let the words soak into your mind, heart and soul.  As the song builds, let yourself feel the hope rising within you. Give yourself permission to move with the music and get lost in the worship of God for as long as you can.

Written and submitted by Amy Vogel.