Business failures. Layoffs. A shaky stock market and weak economy. It’s not hard to find things to be anxious over today. If it’s not national crises, a variety of everyday problems can disturb us: the lump discovered on a breast; the divorce papers served yesterday; the wayward teen who felt the tug into rebellion; dwindling retirement funds.
If you find that fear of the future immobilizes you, try overcoming it through the simple act of remembering.
Remember the Creator
The God who created you controls your life. He who spoke the universe into existence understands economic downturns and oversees counseling sessions and chemotherapy. He rightly asks, “Who is my equal?” (Isaiah 40:25).
Because of God’s ownership, life, with all its fearful debris, rotates around the fixed axis of His divine sovereignty. “This is my Father’s world,” the hymn says — not yours, not the government’s, not the surgeon’s who will be operating in the morning. This doesn’t mean that bad things won’t happen but that God will help you when you don’t know what to do. You can count on Him to give sanity in the midst of panic, and work bad into good — if you love Him (Romans 8:28).
It’s easy to forget this. One negative report from the blood test, a down day on Wall Street, and God shrinks. But the truth is, if you rightly remember the Creator, you shrink — not God: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, . . . what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3, 4).
Despite what you see or can’t see, what you feel or dread, God’s world has purpose and plan. Mistakes and mishaps do not have the final word.
Remember the past
God knows that our perspective of the future is often limited to what we can see. That’s why the refrains of “remember” and “do not forget the past” lace the Scriptures together. If you fear the future, try remembering “the deeds of the Lord” (Psalm 77:11).
Let Psalm 105 show you how. It traces God’s work in behalf of the Israelites: He protected them from oppression; permitted Joseph to be enslaved, planning the key to future survival through him; made the Israelites fruitful; empowered Moses and Aaron to perform miracles before Pharaoh and the people; sent plagues and led the Israelites out of Egypt; guided them with fire at night and a cloud by day; supplied food and water in the wilderness; gave them lands of other nations.
Notice the detail; it’s there to prove how essential a good memory is. Failing to recall God’s specific help in the past puts a person in danger of failing to depend on Him for the future.
That’s what happened to the Israelites: “They gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses . . .” (106:7). When the people faced new challenges after their deliverance, they refused to wait for God’s counsel because they had forgotten what He’d done (v. 13). In no time, forgetfulness gave way to rebellion, impatience, murmuring, complaining, envy, idolatry, and ultimately unbelief.
Likewise, when fear overwhelms, you tend to forget what God has done for you in times past. By now, you’ve probably racked up enough mileage to offer a fair survey of the road behind. Where in your journey did God intervene? When did He send a messenger of hope? When did He change an attitude and bring peace? How did He supply your needs? In custody battles, court appearances, caring for aging parents, adjustments to singleness, long-term illnesses, and separation through death and divorce, you can trace God’s providential hand.
You might try writing your own version of Psalm 105, especially if you find yourself more prone to the attitude in Psalm 106. Recounting the Red Seas in your past means that you can once again “Look to the Lord and His strength [and] seek his face always” (105:4).
Remember, God remembers
God has a unique memory. When we repent, He remembers our sins against us no more (Isaiah 43:25). But He never forgets those children He formed in the womb (49:15, 16).
Genesis offers an account of yet another dimension of God’s memory. Keeping it in mind will help you place a firm grip on fears about the future.
God decided to destroy the earth with a flood. But He promised to save Noah if he followed the instructions for building an ark and loaded family and animals in it. Will the pitch hold? Noah may have wondered. Is the wood strong enough to endure the torrents? Once the ark comes to rest, then what?
For forty days God remained silent. The writer of Genesis says that after the waters flooded the earth about five months, “God remembered Noah . . .” (Genesis 8:1). This doesn’t imply that God had forgotten His servant for a while and suddenly recovered His memory. It means that God was always mindful of His promise to preserve Noah, his family, and the animals (6:18) but had delayed fulfilling it.
A wind blew over the earth, and the floodwaters receded. In the seventh month, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat and with it rested whatever doubts Noah may have had. When conditions were right, God permitted Noah, his family, and the animals to disembark into a fresh, clean world.
God has made many promises to us in His Word. Consider which ones you can look to when you’re paralyzed by fear of the future. He pledges strength and aid when you’re terrified (Isaiah 41:10). He vows that the waters will not overwhelm you, that the fire won’t scorch you (43:2). He promises perfect peace if you keep your mind riveted on Him (26:3).
Holding steady
Richard Fuller writes about an old seaman’s wisdom: “In fierce storms we must do one thing, for there is only one way to survive: we must put the ship in a certain position and keep her there.” Fuller likens our soul to a ship in a storm: We must put it in one position and refuse to move it, no matter what.
When the waves of fear roll you from side to side, exercising your memory holds your soul in a steady position of trust. The Creator’s control, His past help, and a sharp memory of His promises — with these, you can face the storms of fear with confidence.
*Reproduced with permission from The Bible Advocate
The New Testament tells us that one day a disciple asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” Jesus replied: “When you pray, say …” and then he proceeded to give what is called “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9–13, and Luke 11:2–4):
We see that this prayer was probably intended as a model, which could be used as an outline and expanded in our own words, by the fact that the wording is different in the two gospels in which it occurs – so reciting its exact words is clearly not as important as following its points. The following guide gives examples of how the Lord’s Prayer can be expanded in our own words for regular formal prayer which effectively covers all aspects of our relationship with God. The scriptures given are examples showing the principles covered in each point of the prayer.
OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN
The first section of the prayer outline establishes our relationship with God as our Father and prepares our mindset for an audience with Him.
• Praise God as Creator of Heaven and Earth and Father of our human family (Genesis 1:1; 1 Corinthians 8:6)
• Thank God for the privilege we have of praying to Him in Heaven (Psalm 150:1; John 4:23)
• Thank God for the personal son/daughter relationship we have with Him (Romans 8:14-16; 1John 3:2)
HALLOWED [HONORED] BE YOUR NAME
The second section of the prayer outline offers true respect and praise to God – for everything He is and has done – and reminds us to honor His name.
• Praise for what God is – Creator, Ruler, Sustainer, Love, Righteousness, Mercy and Truth (Psalm 100:3-5; Psalm 145:8-17)
• Praise for all He has done – His compassion, patience, sacrifice and salvation (Psalm 146:1-10; John 3:16)
• Ask God’s help to honor His name, never misuse it, always use it with respect (Exodus 20:7; Psalm 86:12)
YOUR KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
The third section of the prayer outline focuses on the establishment of God’s Kingdom and Will in our lives and eventually throughout the world.
• Pray for help to accept God’s will and that He grow His Kingdom in our lives and the lives of all believers (Mark 4:30-32; Romans 12:2)
• Pray for God’s help in bringing His truth to many more people, to continually grow His Kingdom (Luke 10:2; Matthew 28:19-20)
• Pray for leaders and those helping others that good may be done wherever possible (Jeremiah 29:7; 1 Timothy 2:1-2)
• Pray for the spiritual needs of God’s people and the support and guidance of His Church (Ephesians 6:18; 2 Thessalonians 3:1)
FORGIVE US OUR SINS AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO SIN AGAINST US
The fifth section of the prayer outline shows that we should ask forgiveness for our sins and the sins of others –as well as for help to forgive others.
• Ask forgiveness for our own sins, and give thanks for the sacrifice of Christ and God’s grace (Psalm 51:1-2; 1John 1:9)
• Ask for help in forgiving others fully as God forgives us; to let go of anger and bitterness (Ephesians 4:31-32; Matthew 6:14-15)
• Pray for those that sin against us that God be merciful to them as He is to us (Luke 23:34a; Acts 7:60)
LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION
The sixth section of the prayer outline requests God’s help, for ourselves and for others, to avoid unnecessary trials and overcome things that tempt us to sin.
• Ask for help in overcoming temptations and sins identified in our own lives (Luke 22:40; Hebrews 2:18)
• Ask for help for all those fighting weaknesses, addictions, sins (Hebrews 4:16; 1 Corinthians 10:13)
• Pray that those who have escaped sin will have the strength not to return to it (2 Peter 2:20; Galatians 6:1)
DELIVER US FROM EVIL
The seventh section of the prayer outline asks for protection from physical and spiritual evil, and for all fighting against evil or held in its sway.
• Pray for physical and spiritual protection for all who look to God for help, especially in persecution (2 Samuel 22:3-4; John 17:15-17; )
• Pray for all who are working to suppress evils that are harming people (Hebrews 13:17; Romans 13:3)
[FOR YOURS IS THE KINGDOM, THE POWER AND THE GLORY, FOR EVER. AMEN]
The final words of the Lord’s Prayer appearing in some translations were not in the earliest Bible manuscripts, but they reflect Christian traditions which remind us to:
• End prayer as we began, with praise and thanks (Psalm 9:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Is patience a gene? I have always been impatient. Overcoming this failing is part of my personal climb. I have read the biblical verses relating to this subject many times over and some have been helpful, but trying to be patient when you’re feeling impatient is a bit like trying to be well when you are feeling sick. It’s a nice try, but it usually doesn’t go far, and I know I still have a ways to go. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit of God, of course, but that doesn’t mean that God makes us instantly patient if we ask for his help with it. As someone wryly observed, if you ask God for patience, don’t expect a quick reply. But seriously, we have to develop patience with the help we are given. That’s why I was particularly happy with something I was reading in the Book of Ephesians recently. As I read in the New International Version, I saw something I hadn’t noticed before. Paul writes:
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4: 1-2).
Now I just happened to look at these verses again in the King James version and noticed something different in the last part of the verse: “…with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love.”
The difference is small, but it triggered a thought in my mind: The semicolon used in the NIV directly before “be patient” makes it look like there are two separate thoughts (being humble and gentle on the one hand and patient and bearing with people on the other), whereas the series of commas in the KJV looks more like a continuous, connected thought. The original Greek of the New Testament doesn’t have punctuation, of course; but as I looked at it, it seemed to me that the sense of the verse really is one continuous subject and thought – with humility, gentleness, and patience seeming to be grouped together as related qualities.
Then when I looked at what Paul says in Colossians 3:12-13, I saw the same pattern: “… clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another…” Here we have compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience grouped together – the same qualities we see in Ephesians 4 with a couple more added.
What struck me about these verses is that the qualities Paul is talking about can indeed be interrelated, and this has a practical application which I found I was able to put into action. Instead of thinking about patience as an abstract goal when I’m feeling impatient with someone, I found that if I work on one of the more concrete qualities in the group Paul brings together, it helps with the impatience at the same time. For example, thinking about and working on being humble when I’m feeling impatient really makes a difference.
After all, when I remind myself I’m not the center of the universe, what does it matter that someone is late to meet with me? If I think about what it means to be compassionate, I can better empathize with the overwhelmed driver in front of me who is holding up all the traffic, and so on. If I focus on the other qualities on Paul’s list, I don’t even have to think about patience directly in order to better apply it.
Anyway, I think this small tactic is helping me grow in this area. Perhaps not as quickly as I would like, but I have to be patient.
* We now have a Free e-book on patience: Why Every Christian Needs More Patience – download your free copy here.
Scripture says in many places that we are to “pray always” or to pray “without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Ephesians 6:18, etc.). How can we possibly do that? What does that mean? Understanding the answers will make all the difference in the level of our relationship with our heavenly Father.
It does not mean that we must literally have our head bowed, eyes closed, while praying non-stop 24 hours a day! We all would have been fired from our jobs long ago if we lived like that. It means we go through each day with an active awareness of the presence of the Almighty. It means we take time to connect with Him dozens of times a day in quick short prayers.
We surely should connect with our Father first and last thing each day – especially in a formal prayer time on our knees. David and Daniel prayed three times a day in these formal type prayers (Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10, 13). In these prayers we praise Him, thank Him, ask for His forgiveness for where we fell short; we intercede for others, and we ask for the help we need as well. But we always praise and thank.
These times of prayer on our knees, I think of as “formal prayer times” and I think they are necessary. It is good for US to be on our knees before our Maker. It is good for US to confess our sins, to ask forgiveness, and then to praise and to intercede. That’s formal prayer time primarily. I recommend you be sure you are giving God this honor. Don’t fall for the teaching that it’s OK to JUST have quickie prayers while we shave or do dishes or drive to work on the freeway. We should have definite formal prayer times on our knees (if our knees and bodies allow for that) first as the foundation. THEN, to those times, we add the concept of “praying without ceasing”.
We’re told that Cornelius, the first Gentile convert, was a devout man who “prayed to God ALWAYS” (Acts 10:2). As a centurion, he had many responsibilities, so how could he possibly pray to God always?
So HOW do we “pray always”?
I believe it means going through the day with a keen awareness of the presence of God in your life. That will be easier to do if we started the day on a foundation of prayer, before we eat, before we go to work. It’s easier to do if you’ve consciously asked Him to help you “turn your heart” back to Him. After that, you’ll be getting nudged by His Spirit many times a day. You’re “hearing His voice” in many different ways, conversations and circumstances. So to me it means that all through the day we’re connecting with Father in dozens of quick short prayers. It’s like touching base with our Maker all through the day. If you’re not doing that already, you’ll be amazed how your life changes once you make a practice of calling on Father all through the day and into the night. He’s a FATHER! He LIKES hearing from His kids.
So think of “praying always” as a way to be walking and talking with God all day long. Always. Be saying silent prayers before and during important meetings. Lift up a brother or sister in Christ to heavenly realms in prayers several times a day, every day. Look up and just quietly ask Father to smooth out your paths for you, if things aren’t going well. Maybe you should have touched base many times before that point already! When feeling anxious, I like to look up and say something like, “There I go again. I don’t want it to be me – but to be YOU. I have no reason to worry or fret since you are with me. I have every reason to claim the victory, to shout the joyful triumphs, even long before I see the final outcome, knowing I walk with the King of the Universe!”
Our spirit should be in lock step with God’s Spirit. It should be like the cloud over the Israelites in their wilderness wanderings – when the Cloud moved, they moved. When it stood still, they stood still. We should be so responsive to God’s spirit moving in us that we are in lock step with HIS will, HIS desire, and HIS purpose. It’s when we let the “noise” of society, too much TV-facebook-smart phone-emails-texting-twitter-games, too many concerns and worries and things that busy us crowd out Father’s voice that it starts to diminish. If we are “in Him”, we will grow in the ability to harmonize His will into our lives, to subjugate our own desires and seek His pleasure in everything we do.
This harmony comes about largely by constantly connecting and checking in throughout the day. And that is also WHY we “pray without ceasing” – to get in harmony with God our Father. To hear His voice. To let Him hear ours. And to walk together in the Spirit.
*Condensed, with permission, from the author’s blog at lightontherock.org
Have you ever thought about how the Bible emphasizes many of its important points? Of course, the original writers of the Scriptures could not utilize large print, highlighting or colored ink. Instead, they utilized techniques that were easily recognizable to those who read or heard their words.
One of the main ways the biblical writers emphasized important points was through repetition – utilizing what is called “reduplication for emphasis or intensification” – in what they wrote. This is not talking about repetition of the same things, such as the Ten Commandments, in different parts of the Bible, though that is clearly often done to emphasize something’s importance.
Reduplication for emphasis or intensification applies to repetition occurring in the same verses or passages of scripture. This is common in the Old Testament because the Hebrew language often uses repetition in this way in order to stress something that is being said. For example: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God” (Numbers 15:41, emphasis added here and in the following scriptures), or “…Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it!God bless it!’” (Zechariah 4:7).
This kind of repetition is easy to see and to understand, but there are other times when the reduplication is not so obvious. Hebrew storytellers often used the technique in stressing important elements of their accounts. If we look at the story of Joseph, for example, we may notice repetition but not think about its significance: Joseph receives two robes (one from his father, one from Pharaoh); his robe is used twice by those trying to destroy him; Joseph has two dreams in which his family bows to him; Pharaoh has two dreams foreshadowing the coming famine in Egypt; Joseph’s brothers make two visits to Egypt to seek his help; and so on.
The reduplication does not mean that the two events are not both part of the story, but that they are carefully selected to make the story’s main points.
The same principle is found in the New Testament. We see the same repetition of individual words and phrases for effect – for example “… But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God … For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:11-14) or, more simply: “… Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty …” (Revelation 4:8).
But repetition of ideas was also used in the Old and New Testaments as well as the repetition of words. We often find Jesus himself employing this more subtle form of repetition in order to stress important points in his teaching. For example, in his Sermon on the Mount we find that he gives numerous pairs of examples with only slight variation. He uses salt and light to teach about the responsibilities of the disciple (Mathew 5:13-14); he speaks of food and clothing as things that we should not be worried about (Matthew 6:25-31); he mentions both birds and lilies to show God’s care (Matthew 6:26-30); and he also uses dogs and pigs as examples of animals to which we would not give things of great value (Matthew 7:6).
This kind of reiteration in the teaching of Jesus was not accidental or unplanned. Both biblical and rabbinic tradition used the repetition of ideas to teach, and Jesus utilized the principle carefully in some of his most important messages. So if we realize we are “seeing double” in our study of the Scriptures, we need to take special notice – seeing double in the Bible often means that what is being said is doubly important!
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