Worry can be our worst enemy, if we let it be. One of its strong features is keeping us away from the counsel of God besides causing anger and fear of loss. Every man afflicted by worries wishes to come out of them right away. Thus, they begin to search ways to compensate worry or escape it. When those ways are without perfect knowledge and understanding, they do not cancel worries, but intensify them. A way chosen apart from God’s counsel is not with perfect knowledge. It is simply because we cannot predict or know the result of it to overcome worry; we can only assume or anticipate it works. And since it is without perfect knowledge, we fail to overcome worry. It is for this reason that men often live worried lives. We often see them running to places, people and ideas so they can somehow arrest their worries.
One of the things we can learn from God’s Word is depending on Him for every matter. In such case there’s no worry that can subdue us. Worries are a result of circumstances we create, put ourselves in or caused by outside agencies. They make us fight an inner battle that seems as already lost. They weaken us physically and emotionally; there even appears a change in our appearance. Depending on God gives us advantage over the manner worries appear. It simply means we first go to God and trust Him. When there is a task at hand we must accomplish, going with God’s counsel is the way forward. Because then we do not create a circumstance that causes worry or put ourselves in position to be worried. Furthermore, if outside agencies such as men and Satan cause worry, the Lord’s counsel removes it by the wisdom it gives.
The single most important reason for Joshua, who led Israel, to win all battles is his habit of listening to the Lord first. He deliberately sought or waited on God’s counsel to act. And the Scripture says, “Joshua captured all these kings and their lands at one time, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel” (Josh. 10:42). The counsel of the Lord made ways for victory. He did all the planning and asked Israel to adhere to it. Therefore, throughout the days of Joshua worry was not an issue for Israel. Victory over difficult and impossible matters comes from overcoming worry with God’s counsel. Only God knows what we must do next and how to do it. Depending on Him keeps us from worried lives. Worry is a platform for Satan to execute the evil that brings us loss. He constantly tries to poach our hearts so that we fall for his wicked counsel. If we keep worrying, then we are least bothered about the good counsel of God that sees us through bad times.
We ought to be a people that desire and seek victory every day. This energizes us to depend on God. When there was a situation that greatly worried or disturbed King David, this is what he did. “Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the presence of the LORD. And the LORD said, ‘It is for Saul and his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death’” (2 Sam. 21:1). David was determined to overcome the worry that gave his kingdom sleepless nights. As he sought the Lord, he received a suitable counsel. Sometimes we might be absolutely ignorant of the worry that beset us. But the Lord knows it. Seeking Him relieves us from it. He will give the exact reason for our worry. At times some of our worries can be the result of the actions of those who came before us. They could even be from our own family. Their works puts us in a difficult situation. We know not how to go on. Yet, the Lord God is always by our side to see us through. He knows the exact reason for it and sends His counsel to aid us. And David by His counsel did justice to the Gibeonites and God’s wrath was restrained.
If worry can rob us of peace and joy, failing to seek God’s counsel to defeat it further robs us of prosperity in all areas of our life. A worry in one area of our life can easily and quickly make its way into all areas of our life. Thus, restricting us from having the joy the Lord reserved for us. Here are some of the things we can do to receive that joy.
- Of King Hezekiah the Scripture says, “Every work which he began in the service of the house of God in law and in commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and prospered” (2 Chron. 31:21). Just as we must keep God’s law and commandment with all our heart, even so we must seek His counsel. It means that when we enter His presence to receive His Word, we ought to enter having cast away every thought and intention we possessed. We must go to Him with an empty mind with a view to be filled by His wisdom. Then, we must apply our heart to compel Him to aid us. Prosperity does not mean monetarily alone. That it comes in the form of money alone is a myth many propagate. But prosperity is that which gives us full satisfaction in every area of our life.
- We must acknowledge the kind of God we serve. David said, “Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who alone works wonders” (Ps. 72:18). The counsel of God is very astonishing. It is unlike anything men give. Hence, great things take place by listening to it. Fundamentally speaking, it is God saying, “Listen to Me and watch what I will do.” There will be His ideas and intentions in it, but it is He who makes ways for their completion. Those ways are His wonders.
- The prophet Jeremiah listened to God’s counsel, although it was very difficult to perform. He knew that he too will go to exile. Furthermore, he was thrown into a cistern for speaking against the counsel of the people as the Lord commanded. Yet, he alone was rewarded with joy. The captain of the bodyguard said, “But now, behold, I am freeing you today from the chains which are on your hands. If you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come along, and I will look after you; but if you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, never mind. Look, the whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right for you to go” (Jer. 40:4).
- God has special interest toward us. So, we ought to know His mind. The prophet prophesied saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘I am exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her’” (Zech. 8:2). We must never fear believing or take lightly His mind toward us. He does not want anyone as our God besides Him. As our God, He intends to reestablish and replenish everything we lost and was diminished; and He will do it. He will not leave any of us without accomplishing all His goodness to us. If we fall, He will restore us so that we see His goodness. He has spoken through His Son saying, “‘for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.’ And they went on to another village” (Luke 9:56).