Managing Worry and Anxiety By Jean HolthausSample

  Day 7 

Cling to God’s Good Character

As a young adult, I found myself angry with God for not rescuing me from a situation Scripture clearly stated He did not endorse and could prevent. As I sat in my anger and rehearsed all the ways God could have changed this situation, a subtle change began to occur . . . I moved from being angry with God to being angry with God and questioning His character. 

I still don’t fully understand why God allowed the painful experiences of that year into my life. God didn’t explain Himself to me, but He was present throughout everything I was going through. When I could acknowledge to God I was angry about what was happening and angry He hadn’t fixed it, and do so without questioning His character, I was positioned safely within His arms where He could comfort me and be with me amid the awfulness. 

God is infinite, and He sees and knows things we can never see or know. God may not do what we want Him to do when we want Him to do it, and how we want Him to do it. However, this doesn’t mean He cannot be trusted.

God promises, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33), but also, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8). When we experience “trouble,” we tend to ascribe responsibility for this to God and use it as evidence He has forsaken us and we are alone. Instead, He invites us to remember that this world is currently under the dictatorship of the enemy, who is seeking to “steal and kill and destroy,” and Jesus has come so we can “have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10) in the midst of the trouble we experience. He doesn’t promise to remove the trouble but to be present with us and bring life in the middle of it. 

Ask God to help you understand His heart toward you even when you can’t understand the reason for your troubles.