Have you ever had that gnawing feeling in your head after making a pretty big decision? You know, the one that makes you second guess every next step, rethink the plan, and create more wrinkles in your forehead than you’d care to acknowledge. I’ve had several over my time serving overseas, probably more than I can recall. Each time brings a nervous excitement and fear. I think through all the possibilities of what may go wrong, how it would go wrong, and solutions of what to do when it does. Sometimes my nails have been the casualties of overthinking the major ministry changes, contract agreements, or family decisions that seem to spring up more often than I’d like. Doubt and worry become my fast comrades as I over analyze each step. Processing is good but at times it can rob of the confidence we should be holding when we are being directed by the Lord.
The Apostle Paul encouraged the Corinthians to stand firm, stable, and enduring. His confidence was unshakable. Why? It was unshakable because he did not look at the outward conditions. Logistics and finances were not at the top of his consideration list. Doubt and worry were miles and miles away from his mind and heart. Paul encourages us to be confident because we have a promise. In serving the Lord, every season is prosperous and filled with excellence. “…our union with the Lord makes our labor productive with fruit that endures.” He had the end in mind. That is what he fixed his thoughts on. So no matter how things turned out, the labor was productive and fruit enduring.
At the end of it all, that is what we want: enduring fruit. The details and minutia of it all is just that…details. So why do we worry? Let us all try to hold confidence in His promise that all He says will come to pass. Our union, our relationship with the Lord, is what is of utmost importance. Our union is what makes it all work out wonderfully. This union is what makes our confidence unshakable.
How can you strengthen confidence in times of doubt and worry?
I wrote a bunch of the miracle times down. We were establishing a drop-in youth center for street children and the finances to renovate the building and keep the ministry going was overwhelming but God came through every time. When kids turned their backs on us, another would express how much they loved us. It wasn’t always “roses” but there were many times it was when we least expected. I need to remind myself of those times because doubt and worry tend to stick to me. I see now that God was with us the whole time and He was working where we couldn’t see.