March 2020

Gò0dNews for Everyone

When Worry Comes Knocking

I

by Wendy Jenkins

have a worry problem. I’m sad to admit it, but it’s true. It’s better than it was, but it still creeps up on me every now and then. The Lord has taught me a lot along the

way, both in what to do and what not to do. Here’s what not to do: wallow in it! You know the

feeling? The one that seemingly can’t be shaken? We (by we, I mean me) take it to bed; therefore, we wake up with it. We allow it to consume us. It takes up much brain space, not to mention the heaviness it brings to our heart. Wallow has two meanings. One is the meaning of indulgence, and the other is an “area of mud or shallow water where mammals go to wallow, typically developing into a depression in the ground over long use” (dictionary.com). Pretty fitting, isn’t it? Worry is a lot like muddy, shallow water. It keeps us from being clear-minded and from going deeper in our walk with the Lord. The longer we let it stick around, the further into the pit we go. It’s time for us (me) to dig deeper into God’s word and trust His heart. He has been far too good to do anything less. Here’s what to do: wallow in Him! Psalm 37 is a great read when worry nips at us. I particularly love verse 5: “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.” The word commit in the original language is gaw-lal: it means “to roll: commit, remove, run down, seek occasion, trust, WALLOW” (Strong’s Concordance). When we commit our worries to Him, we our worries, we are wallowing (this is where the definition of indulgence comes in) in the One who has the power to do more than change the circumstances that are causing us grief: He has the power to change us. He can take an anxious heart and turn it into a heart that trusts. Scripture tells us that “God IS love” (I John 4:16). Love is not just one part of His character: it’s His very essence. If that’s true, and it is, why should we (I mean me) allow doubt and worry to inhabit where trust wants to dwell? Matthew 10:30 says that He knows the number of hairs on

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our head. If He’s aware of such a miniscule fact, is there any part of our lives He wouldn’t take an interest in? He knows us intimately and cares for us immeasurably. He’s aware of those things that want to smother out His presence. He has given us His all in Jesus; He will surely not withhold Himself during a time of worry. We can trust Him with the ginormous worries as well as those tiny daily ones that wear us down. The next time worry comes knocking, ask Jesus to open the door while you sit back and rest in Him. About The Author

are rolling them off of us onto Him. Instead of wallowing in

Wendy Jenkins is a pastor’s wife, a mom to an almost college graduate, and a momma to their miniature long haired chihuahua, Rosie.