Like most, I can get nervous or anxious about some things. I naturally live like I need to control or take care of all my needs. God reminds us to find rest and peace in Him. He is also patient with us as we make mistakes and fail to find that peace and rest. He is loving and kind and patient for those who seek Him. He is slow to anger. We see a great example of this in Mark 8, as Jesus addresses the concerns of His disciples over how much food they had brought with them to eat.
14And they had forgotten to take bread, and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. 15And He was giving orders to them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16They began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? 18“HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? And do you not remember, 19when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” 20“When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they said to Him, “Seven.” 21And He was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
Be slow to mock the disciples for this kind of mistake. They had just witnessed miracles around food and now they worry about what to eat. How much do we struggle day to day to break away from worldly thinking and truly think in terms of the sovereignty and power of our God, who is in control of all things?
I am grateful that God is so gracious and patient with us and that we can find rest in Him. Praise our loving Father! Thank you!
Take some time to reflect prayerfully on your own life. Are there areas where you are worried and not resting and trusting in God? Ask God to help you release those to Him. It does not mean you do nothing, but it means you trust in Him.
—-
Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.