A couple weeks ago my
mom sent me a text with a great reminder about trusting the Lord and not
worrying. It said something along the lines of "pray as much as you
worry." What she meant by that is to turn your worries into prayer. I like
to think of this as a springboard. When you're worried that your patient won't
make it or you won't make it through nursing school or through the midterms or
whatever you're worried about, redirect your attention off of yourself and your
own inadequacies and focus on the Lord and His all-sufficiency.
This is illustrated
by a passage I was reading last night in Psalms. The passage describes what
Anne Shirley would call "the depths of despair". The psalmist was in
a dark time when everyone seemed to be against him—even the Lord (Psalm 88:7). Even
so, he remembered the "steadfast love" and "faithfulness"
of the Lord and cried out for His mercy (Ps. 88:11). While the troubles of life
were surrounding Him, he recollected the "wonders" of the Lord (Ps.
88:12). He cried to the Lord daily and spread out his hands to the Lord (Ps.
88:9) even though the Lord's wrath laid heavy upon him (Ps. 88:7).
When I read this
passage, I was so impressed by the psalmist trust in the goodness of the Lord
despite his depressed circumstances that I was challenged to examine my own
heart and the way I respond when I am faced by trials. This man was desperate
for the Lord and expectantly asked the Lord for renewed favor. How much more
should we trust our Lord in every circumstance? Like the psalmist, we should
see trials, troubles, and even potential troubles that we worry could happen as
opportunities to come before the Lord in prayer.
Here are some
scriptures to remind us of the God we serve and the power of prayer:
"Cast your
cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be
shaken" (Ps. 55:22).
"But He said
to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that
the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am
content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For
when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12:9-10).
"Confess your
faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16).
"Delight
yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit
your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act. He will bring forth
your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still
before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; fret not yourself over the one who
prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!" (Ps.
37:4-7).
