You are seven days into 2013. If the newness is already wearing off and, like me, you find that your anxiety list is doubling in size…

May I encourage us all to just stop?

Before to-do lists and guilt-trips take over your thought life-

Before “should have done that better” and “I need to be doing more” creep in-

Before your prayer list is filled with fear, worry, stress, and panic-

Stop.

Faith believes that God can and God cares. A teacher on my trip to Israel shared that tidbit and it has become something of a mantra. When my faith leaks out and I find myself overwhelmed by the size of the waves, I ask myself: What am I not believing? Either I don’t believe He can or I don’t believe He cares.

²⁷ After Jesus left the girl’s home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”

²⁸ They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them,“Do you believe I can make you see?”

“Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.”

²⁹ Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.”³⁰ Then their eyes were opened, and they could see! (Matthew 9:27-31, NLT)

Faith believes that God can.

¹³ As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. ¹⁴ Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. (Matthew 14:13-14, NLT)

Faith believes that God cares.

In the midst of your story today, He sees, He hears, He knows. He can and He most certainly cares.

“Restlessness and impatience change nothing except our peace and joy. Peace does not dwell in outward things, but in the heart prepared to wait trustfully and quietly on Him who has all things safely in His hands.”

– Elisabeth Elliot

Following and learning,
Ginger