Pursuing Calm

Pursuing Calm

Read: Luke 12:22-31

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”

Luke 12:25-26

“Never try to carry tomorrow’s burdens with today’s grace.”

—Anonymous

IN WORD Worry is a plague. We encounter difficult situations and think about the ways we want them to turn out. Or worse, we think about all the ways we don’t want them to turn out, obsessing about everything that can go wrong in them. We play a mind game called “What if?” We ask ourselves, What if something goes wrong? What if I get sick? What if I don’t have enough money to eat? What if my work fails? What if . . . ? The possibilities are limitless. And they grow larger the more we think about them. In our minds, the potential disasters swell and overwhelm us. When they do, our Protector and Provider seems to grow small and faith disappears. What is the solution? We know there is a place of rest for the believer—Jesus has promised it to us. But how do we get there?

Jesus tells us in verse 31 to set our minds on the kingdom. This is hard to do. In a crisis, we are prone to set our minds on the desired outcome. We fix our gaze on the preferred result and ask God to accomplish it. That outcome may be good and holy, but as long as it is our hope, we are not focused on Jesus and His kingdom. Jesus asks us to set our minds on God and accept what He accomplishes. The outcome may be exactly the same in both cases; but calm in our hearts will only be a reality in the latter approach. We cannot experience the peace of faith when our eyes see God as a tool to accomplish our purposes. Our eyes can be either on God or on outcomes. Not both.

IN DEED Jesus is constantly telling us to think in a way contrary to our fallen nature. It’s difficult; we need frequent reminding. But it’s the only way to internal rest. Pry your hopes off of your circumstances and put them on the Person who promises peace. Desire only Him, and you will never be disappointed. Or worried.