Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David.” (1 Kings 12:26)

WHEN IN TROUBLE, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!

Jeroboam wasn’t quite in the panic mode, but he was close. He worried that the people of Israel would rejoin Judah, the southern kingdom. He worried they would give their allegiance to Rehoboam, the king of Judah. And he worried that they would kill him.

Are you a worrier? Jeroboam had set up a situation that caused him to worry, but you, I, and many other believers may worry about matters we did not cause or cannot control. For example, we may worry that a tornado will level our house and scatter our possessions across the county. We may worry that a routine medical examination will uncover a deadly cancer. We may worry that a rogue nation will launch nuclear missiles into our cities, including our own city. Or we may worry that a hacker will clean out our bank account.

Worry is both unproductive and unnecessary. It is the opposite of trust and a roadblock to God’s peace. Not once do we read in the Bible the command to worry, but 365 times we read, “Fear not!”

Let’s cast worry aside and follow the advice given in Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Prayer leads to God’s peace (Phil. 4:7).

When tempted to worry, put worry behind you by facing God in prayer!

Jim Dyet was born in Scotland and grew up in Canada. Married fifty-eight years, he and his wife Gloria live in Colorado Springs, where Jim enjoys golf and daily walks with their dogs.

© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.