The web of worries

Read Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace
   all who trust in you,
   all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (NLT)

When confronted with verses like this our first response might be,”Easier said than done!” Anxious thoughts can arise from the depths of our dark and fearful thinking. All sorts of worst-case scenarios come looming across our horizons. Mingled thoughts of despondency and despair can overwhelm us. At such times ‘perfect peace’ seems a mere teasing illusion.

Fact is,the peace envisaged in this verse comes as a result of a trust in God and a focus on him. We tend to naturally trust in our fears and focus on the circumstances that give rise to them. So the verse might be paraphrased,”I will keep myself in constant worry because I believe in worst-case scenarios and my thoughts are fixed on the real and anticipated threats in my life.” Doesn’t quite have the same assurance as the original Bible passage!

What so often happens is that God is trying to give us this new perspective of trust,urging us to see things his way. But his voice,his pattern of thinking,is somehow caught up in the sticky webs of our worries and concerns. He tries to get through to us with his message of peace but that message is somehow intercepted,gets drowned out with the louder voice of anxiety and fear.

There is no simple remedy for this. We can only day by day surrender our days to God. Quieten ourselves before him,invite him at the beginning of each day to give us his perspective on things. Brush aside the cobwebs of worry so as to allow him free rein. It is still easier said than done. But it can and needs to be done.

Blessings
David Reay