Good morning:
Worries have a way of feeding on themselves and growing larger and more frightening the longer we think about them. All it takes is wondering, “What if….?” What if I were to get seriously sick? Would I get the care I need? What would happen to those who depend on me? What if there were no treatment? What if….? What if the war in Ukraine escalates? What if Russia were to use nuclear weapons? What if the US were to become entangled in World War III? What if….? What if something were to happen to a loved one? How could I ever face that?
All those “what ifs” can multiply into dozens more and become overwhelming. But then take a deep breath and look to the Lord. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). That’s what the Old Testament king Hezekiah did. Surrounded and trapped in Jerusalem by a massive Assyrian army, Judah had no hope of breaking the siege. They had nothing. Yet Hezekiah didn’t despair. He took the Assyrian letter of ultimatum to the temple, spread it out before the Lord, and prayed: “O LORD, God of Israel….You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth….Now, O LORD our God, deliver us…so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God.” The Lord heard the king’s prayer and that very night annihilated the enemy. Read how in 2 Kings 19:20-37.
Take all your “what ifs” to the Lord, and the “peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). He has already rescued us from eternal death through Jesus’ suffering and death on Calvary. “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist” (Is. 44:22). Without a doubt, He will care for you today. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” (Is. 43:2). Let the Lord’s Word of power and grace sweep away all the “what ifs” which would keep us from praising and serving the God of our salvation.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor
Services tomorrow are at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday school begins at 9:15 a.m., and the adult Bible class meets at 9:30 a.m. The Bible class will continue the study of how God has preserved His holy Word for us. Tomorrow we will look in particular at the history of modern translations and how to evaluate them.
If you would like to help with the transportation costs of the ILC Tour Choir, designate your offering, “Tour Choir” and place it in the collection plate.
