When the What Ifs Overwhelm Us
“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” - Matthew 6:27 NIV
Last weekend my husband and I were sitting in a packed Dallas airport trying to fly home when the pilot of our delayed flight came over the intercom with an announcement. “I have some bad news. I just talked with the crew that came from San Jose and our flight is going to be very rough. Please make sure to get all your items in order now because you won’t be getting up during this four-hour flight.”
Then came the internal panic from my overwhelming 'what ifs.' “What if the weather is too bad for us to fly? What if I get sick? What if I have to go to the restroom but we’re restricted to our seats? What if something happens to our plane?” Ranging from human biology to air traffic issues, my anxiety was in full force.
When I finally got seated on our flight and realized how I had let my fear outweigh my faith, I got in the word and read Matthew chapter 6. While Jesus is preaching in verses 25-34 that we shouldn’t worry about what we’ll wear or what we’ll eat because God takes care of us, it also applies to all facets of life.
After explaining how the Lord will provide for His children because He is also providing for things as simple as grass, Jesus ends with this; “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?” - Matthew 6:30 NIV
Our loving Father is our provider and our protector, yet we spend our time worrying about things we can’t control. We can hear troubling news causing our faith to wane, all the while He’s waiting for us to use those same situations to show how much we trust Him. We can turn to Him in times of doubt because we believe in a God bigger than reason, science, or expert opinions, AMEN?!
After reading that chapter I was reminded that not only does God orchestrate the weather, but He also made my body and can keep my bladder calm for a few hours. Just a few moments later the pilot made another announcement. “Good news everyone. We’re receiving optimistic reports of better rides for westbound flights. The fasten seatbelts sign should be off shortly.” Our trip was smooth and I rested well the entire time.
Funny how that works, right? Praise God that it’s possible to go from being people of little faith to sheep who trust our Shepherd in just a few moments!
Challenge: If you feel yourself reeling about what if’s, use that moment as your alarm to stop what you’re doing and remember to have faith.
With love,
Jantzen
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