Give Up Worry Wednesdays: Day 29
Do You Trust God?
Day 29: Fourth week of Lent
(On February 27, in Introducing Give Up Worry Wednesdays we announced our Lenten series, which takes a weekly reflection from a transforming new book by Gary Zimak, Give Up Worry for Lent: 40 Days to Finding Peace in Christ.)
You keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you. —Isaiah 26:3, RSV:2CE
In order to be at peace, we must learn to trust God. If it sounds simple, that’s because it is. And yet, the fact that trusting God is simple doesn’t necessarily mean it is easy. Speaking as a lifelong worrier, I can assure you that trusting God can be a very difficult task. The good news is that it is possible, though you will have to work at it. Not only can you learn to trust him but also you must learn to trust him. Otherwise, you will never experience lasting peace in your life.
Now I have to tell you something that may sound discouraging: you can’t force yourself to trust God. I know, it sounds crazy, right? How can you learn to trust God without forcing yourself to do it? This kind of trust develops over time, in small increments. Rather than forcing yourself to do something you can’t do (trusting God), concentrate on doing something that you can do (controlling your thoughts and turning to him in prayer). Doing this faithfully with the smaller challenges of your life will gradually enable you to trust him for the big things.
We discussed thought control on day 2, but it is definitely worth revisiting. In order to stop worrying, you must learn to control your thoughts. Instead of imagining all the things that could go wrong, use your imagination to reinforce the truth: God is present and ready to help you.
As an example, picture Jesus standing before you. A big smile appears on his face when he sees you, and he motions you to come close to him. Imagine yourself being wrapped in his loving arms as he holds you tight. Think about him softly saying, “Relax. You are safe in my arms. Nothing can harm you. It’s so good to be with you. Please stay with me for awhile.” Now, say something to him in response. Ask him for whatever you need or tell him why you’re afraid. Try to imagine how he would respond. Didn’t that feel good? That exercise may only have lasted a few minutes, but it was definitely more pleasant than worrying.
Wait a minute, you might think. Wasn’t that just a religious version of “thinking happy thoughts”? Not at all. It was an encounter with Jesus Christ. And the best news of all is that this encounter can take place whenever you desire. The Lord is always ready and willing to meet you. And guess what happens when you meet with him regularly? You guessed it. Your trust in him will increase. Why not give it a try and see what happens?
Gary Zimak is a Catholic evangelist and author of seven books, including A Worrier’s Guide to the Bible, Listen to Your Blessed Mother, From Fear to Faith and Stop Worrying and Start Living. He is a radio host and frequent speaker at parishes, retreats and conferences and is known across the country as the leading Catholic speaker on overcoming anxiety. Gary serves as director of parish services at Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Catholic Church in North Wales, Pennsylvania.
