By: Gena Rutherford

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

Just so you know, my natural tendency is to worry. I worry about almost everything. I don’t know why. I don’t remember any specific thing that happened to cause a malfunction in this area of my life. It seems like I no sooner feel peace about a situation that I start to wring my hands about something else. Fear is crippling. It is an emotion that has the ability to taint the entire lens in which we look at life.

I worry about my kids. I worry about finances. I worry about the turmoil in the world. I worry what the future is going to look like for me, my kids, my grandkids, and on and on. Do I worry because God has failed me? Of course not! He has proven time and time again He can be trusted with every detail of my life. Do I get stronger when He comes through again with that which concerns me? I believe I do. Will I ever get to the point where I don’t worry, this side of Heaven? I can’t tell you that. 

I can tell you this, though. God cares about every detail of my life. He hears my troubles. He advocates on my behalf.

In her book, The Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life, Hannah Whitall Smith says, “Not a sparrow falls to the ground without our Father. The very hairs of our head are all numbered. We are not to be careful about anything, because our Father cares for us. We are not to avenge ourselves, because our Father has charged Himself with our defense. We are not to fear, for the Lord is on our side. No one can be against us, because He is for us. We shall not want, for He is our Shepherd. When we pass through the rivers, they shall not overflow us, and when we walk through the fire we shall not be burned, because He will be with us.” 

I don’t know about you, but this fills me with hope. So, can he use me in my struggles? Of course, he can! Our testimony of His faithfulness in our lives–in the midst of our struggles–is what He uses if we let Him. It’s when we hide away that we lose the many opportunities awaiting us to see God at work in our lives.

So, when you see me, know I’m probably worrying a little about something. Also, know I am holding on to the promises throughout His Word which tell me it’ll all be fine. My point is this: As much as I worry about things, I try to always let my prayers be more prominent than what worries me. I don’t think God is waiting to punish me when doubts creep in. However, I do think He expects us to give Him our struggles and not rely on the things of the world to try and fix them. 

So, this Christmas Season, remember Christ came to take on our struggles. He came to give us a hope and future. We can trust Him!

Read more of this Advent Devotional and other Daily Pursuits at www.dailypursuits.blog