ASSUMING THE WORST
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“A family of five was rushed to the hospital to have their stomachs washed out after the cat with whom they had shared a meal of mushrooms suddenly began to have stomach contractions. While members of the family showed no signs of illness, the doctor still had them rushed to the hospital. When they returned home they found the cat feeling well, after having produced five kittens.”
Job 3:25 For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me.
Some of us have the natural tendency to assume the worst about any situation. I have done it myself so many times. A good example was the time I was traumatized as a child, on a back road somewhere in Georgia. My dad would always drive until the gas gauge was on “E” before he would begin to look for a service station. So it happened that day, in the middle of what seemed like nowhere, we ran out of gas. I said, “This is the worst thing that has ever come upon us!” My family laughed and I cried. From that time I developed what I call, lackofgasaphobia: to live in fear, dread and expectation of running out of gas.
Many of us, like Job, live with a foreboding of something bad about to happen at any moment. I read somewhere that people waste their time and energy worrying over something that has an 85% chance of never happening! We must realize that the Kingdom of God operates in the realm of faith and the kingdom of darkness operates through fear. Fear is a type of faith. Fear set things in motion that if not addressed, becomes a belief and that will dominate your life in a destructive manner.
Friend, there is a cure for fear and King David discloses it to us like this: Psa 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. Isaiah addressed it like this: Isa 12:2 Behold, God [is] my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; 'For YAH, the LORD, [is] my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.' "
Life is just too short to be walking around assuming the worst. This is not part of the abundant life that Jesus paid so much for you and I to have! Why not exchange your fear of the “what ifs” for a faith in the God, who is rock solidly for you?
Every blessing!
—Tom