I asked a group of women recently to list the fears that race around in their heads when they lie down to sleep. Here’s a sampling:
Will my children and grandchildren walk with God?
Will my marriage go the distance?
Will we have enough money to pay for college, weddings, and retirement?
Will we be persecuted for our faith?
Will our country continue to disintegrate?
Will societal unrest destroy our country?
Will godly officials be elected to office?
For these and other fears, there is hope–in God’s Word and in the Disney movie starring Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin. I watched it recently, and one line from the movie connected me with God’s truth. It has reverberated in my heart since I heard it.
In one scene, an adult Christopher Robin awakens to discover he’s slept the night away. He’s late for a very important meeting.
“Oh no!” he says. “It’s tomorrow.” Panicked, he rushes into a day filled with pressure, problems, and hopeless scenarios. A day devoid of joy and fun.
Pooh remembers their conversation as the sun sets on the movie. “What day is today?” he asks.
“It’s today,” Christopher Robin replies.
“Oh, that’s my favorite day. Yesterday, when it was tomorrow, it was much too much day for me.”
I have often felt Pooh’s angst. Standing on the precipice of Today peering through the thin veil into Tomorrow, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by what the future might hold. Fear clutches my heart.
Tomorrow is much too much day for me.
Thankfully, Jesus knows the frailties of our hearts. This is why he cautioned, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Mat. 6:34).
Don’t peer into the veil, he warns. One day’s challenges are enough.
Jeremiah, in the book of Lamentations, tells us why each day must stand on its own.
“(God’s) mercies never end. They are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23).
Like the manna He supplied to the Israelites every day, God’s supply is inexhaustible – but the quantities are limited. Today’s mercies are only enough to feed Today’s growling stomach. There are no leftovers to vacuum seal and set aside. Tomorrow’s mercies remain safely stored in the warehouse of God’s supply until the new day arrives, and we cannot raid the stash.
Yet we want to. Oh, how we want to.
We want to stockpile a lifetime’s supply of mercy so only have to ask once. We long to shed our mantle of fear and uncertainty forever. We want to walk into our future with our mercy cloaks wrapped tightly about us, impervious to the fiery darts of our uncertain futures – the same darts that drive us to seek shelter in the shadow of the Almighty.
But it doesn’t work that way. “Yesterday’s mercies are for yesterday’s burdens,” John Piper said, and it’s true. Today’s mercy check is payable to the bearer on demand, but it can’t be post-dated.
Every day God invites us to sit at his feet and obtain all the mercy we need – but only for that day’s challenges.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence,” the writer of Hebrews says, “so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
This daily portion of grace and mercy tethers us to his side, where we are safe, instead of releasing us to the dangers of spiritual independence.
God knows our hearts. He knows we’d jerk the coat of adequacy off the rack, shove our arms into its sleeves, and march off into the future with nary a backward glance. Clothed in our self-sufficiency, we’d have no reason to sit at his feet, learn from him, and allow him to work through us. We’d have no need for a relationship with him if he provided all we needed to live without him.
Knowing our willful bent toward independence, God tethers us to himself by his grace. There we experience the freedom of knowing he’ll provide everything we need, exactly when we need it.
What a gift.
If you feel overwhelmed and frightened by the what ifs of the future, take heart. If you can’t bear the thought of tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, rest easy. As Pooh so wisely observed, tomorrow is much too much day for you.
But today isn’t. Today you have God’s mercies – and they are new every day, abundantly sufficient for everything you will encounter.
Today is all you have to face. And God’s mercies are already here.
Who in your life is struggling with fear? Please share this post with them today.
Does Your Prayer Life Need Refreshing?
We know Bible reading and prayer are vital parts of our faith, but what happens when our prayer lives become stagnant and our quiet times grow stale? We need something more than just familiar verses and the command to pray. In Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise, Lori Hatcher shares relevant, five-minute devotions that spotlight unusual prayer verses in the Bible.
Each devotion ends with a Power Point (a spiritual truth to empower your faith) and a Praise Prompt (a short prayer designed to magnify God and make your faith soar). The Live It Out section challenges you to apply what you’ve learned right now for immediate change.
If you’re tired of your all-too-quiet quiet time, Refresh Your Prayers is the answer.
The UNcommon Book on Prayer – Unusual Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise
Available now at Amazon.com.
Have you subscribed to Refresh?
If you’d like to receive a weekly 5-minute devotion to help you rediscover the excitement of God’s Word, CLICK HERE.
Amen! “Help me make it through today Lord”; that’s enough for us to be concerned with. Lately, I’ve been asking, “Is today the day Lord?” Perhaps I’m just soul-weary, but I’m finding my cup running dry more with each passing day. I’m so thankful He never fails to refill it. Have a blessed day; and thank you for this encouraging word ma’a.
I’ve found, J.D., that those days of starting empty remind me that I have to rely on Him, not myself and my own strength. When I have no choice but to cry out to Him, He always answers. Praise God for those new morning mercies!
As I read the list of worries, I realized those things have all crossed my mind on occasion. Great encouragement and advice for handling our worry and fear. Indeed, His mercies never end but are new every morning!
Amen, Candyce. Where would we be without our precious Savior to hold us during the storms of life?
Thank you, Lori for this powerful post with lessons from God’s Word and Winnie the Pooh. I hope to remember this sentence: “This daily portion of grace and mercy tethers us to his side, where we are safe, instead of releasing us to the dangers of spiritual independence.” When I remember He’s here, fear trembles, but when I forget, fear shouts loudly.
Where would we be without Him? Lord, allow our faith to speak louder than our fears! Blessings to you, my friend!
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