Day 8
Saturday, March 13
The Way Through Worry
We are humans designed with a survival instinct, so it is very natural to worry—not only for ourselves but also for the people and things in our lives that we love. But Jesus teaches us that even when you’re anxious to the point of sweating blood, you can have a posture of surrender and confidence, saying, “Your will be done!”
Read through how James points to JOY as the remedy for worry in James 1:2-18 (NIV). Reflecting this passage, we sing the lyrics of “Good Grace” by Hillsong UNITED: “I’ll count the joy come every battle, ‘cause I know that’s where You’ll be.”
Can we genuinely say that about the things that give us the potential to worry? A lamenting psalm sings: “I cried out, ‘I am slipping!’ but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer” (Psalm 94:18-19 NIV).
“Lamenting” means to express distress or pain to God, and that’s what this psalm is doing. But there’s a beautiful balance between being vulnerable with this anguish and praising God in the midst of it. Joy is not like “happiness,” where it is contingent on our circumstances being comfortable; rather, it permeates our lives even in the difficult seasons. So the way to experience joy through worry is to worship Jesus.
-Sharayah Bishop
Bible Reading for the Day:
Think and Act:
1. What in your life worries you that stops you from fully and genuinely worshipping Jesus?
2. How can you experience joy today? How can you take action and worship Jesus today no matter where you are or what you’re doing?