Stop Worrying
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” - John 14:27
Over the last few days, we have talked about the time in between where you are now and where you want to be. You know, on the other side of God’s promise for you. You might have a promise you have claimed from God. You know there is something big He is going to do in your life. You just do not know when it is going to come to fruition. So, what do you do in the meantime?
As we wait on God in this “meantime,” there are three specific things we want to be doing. The first thing we must do while waiting is to stop worrying. In 1 Samuel 1, we see a woman who is childless and becomes very worried, wondering if she will ever have the baby her heart so desperately desires. Moreover, she is teased for her childlessness by her husband Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah.
The text says the teasing got so bad that Hannah would cry, and she would not eat. She became depressed. She was discouraged, and that happens when we allow the situation to overwhelm us, and when we allow what others are saying about us, to get to us emotionally.
When we center our attention on what we cannot change, and become preoccupied with other people’s opinion, we become externally focused rather than internally focused. The serenity prayer says, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Serenity means to be at peace, to be calm, and the prayer is about the ability to be self-regulated rather than being controlled by circumstances and people that are beyond our control. Worry is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere. Worry is an internal obsession about stuff in our external world that you do not control, and in the process, it undermines your confidence and trust in God.
God is not asking you to control the situation while you wait on Him. He wants you to trust Him. And to trust Him, you must first stop worrying!
Over the last few days, we have talked about the time in between where you are now and where you want to be. You know, on the other side of God’s promise for you. You might have a promise you have claimed from God. You know there is something big He is going to do in your life. You just do not know when it is going to come to fruition. So, what do you do in the meantime?
As we wait on God in this “meantime,” there are three specific things we want to be doing. The first thing we must do while waiting is to stop worrying. In 1 Samuel 1, we see a woman who is childless and becomes very worried, wondering if she will ever have the baby her heart so desperately desires. Moreover, she is teased for her childlessness by her husband Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah.
The text says the teasing got so bad that Hannah would cry, and she would not eat. She became depressed. She was discouraged, and that happens when we allow the situation to overwhelm us, and when we allow what others are saying about us, to get to us emotionally.
When we center our attention on what we cannot change, and become preoccupied with other people’s opinion, we become externally focused rather than internally focused. The serenity prayer says, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Serenity means to be at peace, to be calm, and the prayer is about the ability to be self-regulated rather than being controlled by circumstances and people that are beyond our control. Worry is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere. Worry is an internal obsession about stuff in our external world that you do not control, and in the process, it undermines your confidence and trust in God.
God is not asking you to control the situation while you wait on Him. He wants you to trust Him. And to trust Him, you must first stop worrying!
Subscribe Now for Free Daily Devotions
Recent
Archive
2025
January
Plenty of RoomThankful for Your SeatWho God Invites to the TableThat’s the PointWe Do Not Have a Monopoly on GodStop Talking So LoudLet God Handle the Guest ListA Long-Awaited ReunionSeeing Jesus for YourselfIn Possession of a Personal PromiseGet in the Right PositionReady to ReceiveAligning Your Life for God's PromiseWaiting with ExpectancyGrounded in PrayerStrength in PrayerPatience Through PrayerStay Focused Through PrayerGod's Conditional PromisesGod’s PriorityGrounded in FaithTrusting God's TimingThe Assurance of God's PromisesIs It Well With Your Soul?Health vs. HealingStewarding Your BodyA Holistic View of SpiritualityGod Cares About Your BodyWhat You Put in MattersNourishing Your SoulThe Power of Prevention
February
The Power of a ComebackHealing from the PastStop Blaming and Start TrustingBury the Past to Claim the FutureFacing Trauma with TruthCelebrate That You SurvivedRepair What is BrokenNothing God Can’t FixDon’t Swing at Bad PitchesStick to God’s PlanDon’t Let Desperation Drive YouShift Your WeightWho Knows Best?A Good Idea Isn’t Always a God IdeaPeace in God’s PlanFinding Purpose in God’s PlanProsperity in God’s PlanTrusting God’s Plan, Pace, and ProcessKnowing When to PivotGod Hasn’t Given Up on YouNext-Level Faith Requires PerseveranceA New Revelation of GodIt’s Not All About YouNext-Level ConnectionsNext-Level CommitmentA Prayer That Moves GodPrayers That Carry a BurdenPray With Boldness
March
A Solid FoundationPositioned for BlessingMarked by LoveTrust God's JudgmentRest in God's DeliveranceLet Go of ControlWhat You Want MostWhy Church Still MattersFaith in the Midst of DisappointmentJoy for the JourneyA Place of SafetyStrength in CommunityPeace in the ChaosThe Purpose of the ValleySeasons ChangeUnshaken in the StormHold OnThe Power of ResilienceNever AloneGod Is Closer Than You ThinkLet Go of WorryLet Go of WorryBelieve Before You SeeResilient FaithHow to Be a Success God's WayTrue Success Starts with the SoulSuccess Through SurrenderCharacter That Speaks for ItselfThe Power of Being RealKeep GrowingSuccess in the Face of Opposition
No Comments