Able and Worthy

Have you ever spent the better part of a day anticipating bad news? Or in some cases, days or weeks? I don't know about you, but my nerves get on edge. I imagine dozens (sometimes hundreds) of crazy scenarios that go from bad to worse. I'm easily agitated. I get snippy or snappy or crabby.

At times like that I find myself caught between the intense, raw emotional experience and my faith in God. Intellectually, I know that God is good and merciful. I also know that he is righteous and just. I know that a believer is not excused from hardship, and that God often allows us to experience the consequences of our sins.

I find myself caught in the tension of these truths. I want grace, not justice. However, I know that God doesn't bend to my will. I want mercy, not consequences.

I moments like these, I am confident in God's ability. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he can deliver me from them, but I am not always certain he will (or that he should).

A lack of certainty, is not doubt. Take Daniel's three friends: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When faced with the fiery furnace, they responded, "We don't need to give you an answer to this question. If the God we serves exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up" (Dan. 3:16-18, HCSB). It didn't matter what happened, they rested on two important truths: God is able to deliver, and He is worthy of service even if he doesn't deliver.

The problem with worry is so much of it is wasted. We fear things that never actualize. They feel real in our minds, but they never come to pass. To often, we worry about all the wrong things. Things that should concern us, we ignore. Things that don't really matter, we blow out of proportion. Either way, it's wasted time.

When God delivers you from that thing you feared, I encourage you to spend time in praise. Then, reflect on the opportunity he has given you. Seize your moment, make the necessary changes, and slay that fear that drove you to worry. If God has chosen to allow you to face that which you fear, rest in his grace, and he will strengthen you for the days ahead. But never forget, he is able to deliver you, and still worthy of your worship if he doesn't.