The More God Owns, the Less You Worry

The problem with people who care is that they are often overwhelmed by the cares of their problems. I am thankful for people who care, who see issues and problems and set out to do something about them. The issue is that such people can easily be overcome by anxious care.

 Nehemiah’s story is found in the book bearing his name. He was a man who lived in relative comfort. He was the courtier of the king of the known world. He lived in Shushan the palace. I suppose he ate well, dressed well, and lived in the most secure location on the planet, yet the report of some of his brethren who had come back from Jerusalem burdened him. Their report was that the people in Jerusalem were in great affliction and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem was broken down and the gates were burned with fire. When Nehemiah heard these words, he sat down, wept, fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.

 Now Nehemiah enjoyed all of the privileges of the palace but none of the burdens. He didn’t have to govern the kingdom. He was simply a steward. Because he was serving the king, everything was provided for. But all of a sudden, he was tempted to take the burdens and problems of Jerusalem, but he was wise enough to quickly give those to God in prayer.

 I have a friend who said something years ago that I have found is really a maxim. He said, “I’d rather have a friend who owns a boat than to own a boat myself.” Why did he say that? It is because you can enjoy the boat and not own it, but if you own the boat, then you have all the problems, the insurance, update, maintenance, and so on. So many times we own our lives, our finances, people, dreams, future, and therefore we also own the problems. Something you learn from Nehemiah it that the more God owns, the less you worry.

 You can see that Nehemiah quickly gives God ownership. For instance, in verse 6 as he is praying to God he says, “Hear the prayer of thy servant, and I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants.” He is saying, “God, I am yours. The people in Jerusalem are yours.” In verse 8 he says, “Remember…the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses.” Moses was God’s servant. Verse 10 says, “Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.” He is saying, “It is Your people, Your power, Your problem.”

 Verse 11 says, “O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man [the king]. For I was the king’s cupbearer.” What he was saying was, “God, you own the people; they are your servants. God, you own the power. God, you own the problem.”

 When I own everything in my world, I also own the problems that come with them. If I own my future, my money, my plans, then I own all the worries that come with that. Sometimes we say to God, “God, I want you to straighten out my kid.” If he is your kid, then you straighten him out, but if he is God’s to worry about, then let Him do what He alone can do.” Sometimes we say, “God, this is my money and I want more of it.” If it is your money, then you worry about it. If it is God’s money, then ask for what you need. We say, “God, these are my plans. I want you to rubber stamp them.” If they are your plans, then you worry about the future, but if God owns your future, then God owns the problem. The more God owns, the less you worry.

 The question is, “How much does God actually own and how much are you worrying about?” This is easy to say and hard to take. There is a balance. I do have responsibility. Nehemiah was a man of action as you will see in the rest of the story, but all the actions he took were based on the premise that God is sovereign. He owns and I will do what He wants and trust Him to provide for what I need to do. So, how much does God own?

 What about your family? I often think, “I wouldn’t worry about anything if I wasn’t worried about my people.” That is naive and not true, but honestly, when I worry, that is what I worry about. Maybe for you it is finances. The more God owns, the less you worry. God doesn’t want you to share your problems with him any more than He wants you to share your plans with Him. He wants you to surrender everything, and when you surrender the one, you surrender the other. When you surrender the possessions, you surrender the problems and the worry.

 Ultimately, this comes down to your future. I’ve often said that the only thing you can worry about is the future. Someone says, “No, I am worried about what I said or did yesterday.” You can regret the past, but you can only fear the future. You may worry about the consequences for tomorrow of something you said yesterday, but your worry is always about the future. So, does God own your future or are you trying to make things happen as if you are sovereign?

 I have a friend whose email address used to be “active rest.” It may sound like contradicting terms and an oxymoron, but that is what we should have before God, doing what we should but trusting Him for everything, guidance, energy, wisdom, and strength. Nehemiah said, “God, they are your servants. It is your power, and I am your servant. Please hear my prayer today.” Whatever you face in your future, the more God owns, the less you worry. So, give it all to God right now.