The Way Forward: A 5-Day Devotional by Phil DooleySample

Day 2: What should we do instead of worrying?

So, what should we do instead of worrying? ‘Trust in the Lord completely,’ says Proverbs 3:5 (TPT), ‘and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on Him to guide you, and He will lead you in every decision you make.’ Yet trust, in any relationship, is built by getting to know someone and spending time with them. The more time you spend with God, the more you’ll learn to trust Him with your life, decisions, and future.

Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:33 (NLT): ‘Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.’ In other words, make your relationship with God your top priority. A good place to start is to spend daily time with Him first thing in the morning before you switch on your phone and all the news and notifications come crashing in.

Jesus invites us to bring our worries (a catchall word here for everything that weighs us down) straight to Him: ‘Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy-laden and over-burdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]’ (Matthew 11:28 AMPC). The promise is not to remove all the stressors from our lives. The promise is to help us with everything we bring to Him, to ease us by shouldering the weight of our burdens, and to refresh and refuel us so we can keep going.

This daily rhythm of taking a load off in God’s company has the immense benefit of reminding us that the Lord is in the picture with us and that He has a firm grip on our lives. The truth is God is with us, for us, and dwelling in us, and that knowledge changes everything.

Following Jesus is all about living in close relationship and union with Him. Colossians 2:6–7 (TPT) is a great reminder of this: ‘In the same way you received Jesus our Lord and Messiah by faith, continue your journey of faith, progressing further into your union with Him! Your spiritual roots go deeply into His life as you are continually infused with strength, encouraged in every way. For you are established in the faith you have absorbed and enriched by your devotion to Him!’

Being deeply rooted in Jesus will help you to remain firm in faith – strong, immovable, and unwavering. And that’s the goal, as opposed to believing one minute and doubting the next, which is a very unstable way to live because you’re up and down the whole time (see James 1:6–8). In fact, Jesus tells His disciples in Mark 11:22 (AMPC): ‘Have faith in God [constantly].’ Which is the best way I know to keep worry at bay.