Jesus is the solution (Part 3)

The apostle Peter sought to strengthen the brethren when he wrote; “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) We should begin to learn to throw all our concerns and our worries on Jesus and trust that He can do something about them because of the love He portrayed on the cross for humanity. He had warned earlier: “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b) There is nothing that Jesus cannot do. The Bible tells us that “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27) Jesus is our solution-finder.

What problems worry you? What is it that we take to heart that can steal our sleep and peace? Jesus overemphasises the point of not worrying unnecessarily. “I tell you do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body what you will wear. Is life not more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25)

We worry from start to finish. We worry so much that we cannot sleep. We even worry in our sleep. Our lives have become a catalogue of unending anxieties that have never come to pass in the first instance. Each day we have enough to worry about. Again our Lord Jesus assures us; “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34) There are enough problems for us each day; why then would we seek to multiply them by heaping past and present worries on our fragile heads.

Needless to worry when we cannot do anything about a particular problem. “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6.27) We only succeed in making matters worse. Actually, a problem becomes one when you are able to do something about it. It ceases to be when you are helpless with regard to the solution.

In spite of these assurances, people still worry. Their worries take them to the grave. All or most of the new diseases are worry-related, principally hypertension. Life in the cities, with the multiple problems that they engender on their own, have caused more harm than good to our well-being.

Saul, the first king of Israel, was worried about how people would see him after he lost his kingdom through disobedience to young David. He had faltered before God and had been dethroned as his punishment. But he still wanted to look good before the eyes of his people. And so he was ready to cover-up.

He had transgressed God’s instructions and the prophet Samuel had brought him to his senses. He admitted: “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them.” (1 Samuel 15: 24) What a declaration! “Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.” (1 Samuel 15:25)

Samuel refused to go with him; but as he returned to leave Saul grabbed him by ‘the hem of his robe and it tore.’ Samuel concluded: “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbours – to one better than you.…” Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honour me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.” (1 Samuel 15:30)

Samuel went back with him, but as you can see his worry was rather what he would look like before the people. The Bible says; “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) Jesus was saying there are more important things to worry about than self, and that one thing is the kingdom of God. The less time we spend with the word of God the more we shall be overcome by worries. The little strength we have mustered will be sapped in the wink of an eye in the face of an assault of worries; because it is anchored on nothing solid. It would not last; we will collapse like a pack of cards.

What should be the way-out therefore? To continue to fret will take us nowhere; it will retard us and we will end up on sinking sand. We have a mighty God and yet we worry. The Bible states that it is pagans who should be worrying. For us believers, God knows our needs and He will cater for us. What matters is whether we have the right attitude. In whom do we put our trust? 

One thing struck young David as he peered through the ranks of Israel’s army. Goliath had become a problem for them. They could not move; they stomached insults after insults from him. David could not understand this because for him nothing could be mightier than the God of Israel. Why then should giant Goliath constitute an obstacle for them or become a source of worry? It was that puzzle that he wanted to disentangle.

King Saul thought his armory and all the other trappings could be of assistance to David as he feared for his safety. David in the king’s eyes looked so young and inexperienced to face Goliath - particularly where he, the king, had declined any encounter. “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.” (1 Samuel 17:33) After trying it however, David found it too cumbersome and willingly discarded it. What the king was ignorant of was that David had put up a fight when a bear and a lion had threatened his flock of sheep and had killed them. He did not throw up his arms in desperation or faint in the face of adversity. He knew in whom he believed.  

Upon facing Goliath who posed a problem to the whole of Israel David did not mince his words.  He declared: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” (1 Samuel 17:45) David continued; “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s…” (verse 47)

David went ahead and terraced the giant with a stone from his sling. It sounds improbable. But that’s how God works; He makes what looks impossible possible. Young David did a great exploit in the name of his God. So it will be when we put our whole trust in God for a solution to our diverse problems. The great giant fell flat on his face to the ridicule of the Israelite army.

God will take every problem that will come your way and will lay it flat on its face so you can walk over it. He said He will give us the victory after He had dealt with our problem no matter its size, height, or dimension.

We conclude with a word from Paul; “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him. Every one who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13) Stop worrying, hand it over to the Lord for a lasting solution.