Worry Not - God Has it All Under Control

It was a beautiful summer day, and my family and I traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway for the first time. We started in Tennessee and drove along the ridges of North Carolina. My husband started to stop at almost every scenic view, allowing me to enjoy my photography hobby.

"Did you get a good one?" Vic asked as I climbed back into our Yukon. 

"Yep." I hit the review button on the camera and showed him a few of my recent shots.

As we pulled off, headed for the next scenic view, the clouds thickened. Within a few miles, they'd turned rather dark. I snapped a few more photos before the rains began. 

 

Thunder rolled as the rains pelted our vehicle. Vision became short, and my level of concern rose as we headed into a hail storm. 

 

I had never seen hail as large as golf balls, and we now drove through it. I feared a broken windshield, a slide off the mountain, or whatever else could possibly happen. White knuckles gripped the door handle while I began to pray for God's protection, direction, and a way out of this storm. 

 

What was a beautiful summer day on the lazy Blue Ridge Parkway had turned into a dark and threatening nightmare in a matter of minutes. Isn't this how life can be? 

 

One day, we're enjoying prosperity, abundance, and life. The next, we're wondering where the mountain came from and how we're possibly going to get around it, through the valley, or over it to the other side. 

 

Worry and fear tend to go hand-in-hand with us in these situations. It's as if we enjoy walking with them. But God's word warns us not to do so. 

 

"Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?" Matthew 6:27 

 

How do we grow through worrying? It doesn't make us bigger than the problem to add worry atop our heads. It doesn't give us the power to move that mountain. What moves the mountain or calms the storm is belief and faith. 

 

"...for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

- Matthew 17:20

Our mountains will move when we act on our faith, doing what we need to do and trusting God to do the rest.

In Mark 4, Jesus calms the storm while the disciples worry in the boat. Jesus then turns to His closest followers and asks, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" (v. 40)

If your mountain is looming or your storm is raging, and you see no way out, stop and ask yourself, "Where is my faith?"

If it's within us, we're not likely to be saved. If our faith is in Jesus, with whom nothing is impossible, then we're set for life, and life more abundant.