Margaret Feinberg - Overcoming Worry: Finding Peace in the Midst of Uncertainty

2013 Margaret Feinberg

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All Scripture quotations are taken from the the New King James Version. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked The Voice are taken from The Voice Bible Copyright 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice translation 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society.

Page design: Crosslin Creative

ePub Edition January 2014: ISBN 978-1-4016-7916-3

Contents

My friend Laura teaches a kindergarten Sunday school class at a little country church about thirty miles south of Nashville. And every time we get together, I beg her to share stories about her Presbyterian Huckleberry Finns. Her favorite student is a mischievous little rascal well call Bubba (thats not his real name but it is a common name in rural Tennessee). Bubba is 5-years-old, has a very strong Southern accent, and wears a miniature sheriffs uniformcomplete with a vest, badge, and a holster with two cap gunsto church every week.

One Sunday recently, Bubba asked Laura if he could go to the restroom during their craft time. She said, Yes, and made a mental note of the exact time he left because shes learned the hard way that when her charges stayed in the potty too long, trouble was bound to follow. Usually as a result of their enthusiastic use of toilet paper coupled with the churchs geriatric plumbing system. When Bubba didnt return after a few minutes, she walked to the bathroom and knocked on the door, asking, Bubba, are you okay in there, honey? To which he replied tersely, Im fine, Miss Laura.

She thought, Hmmm, he sounds weird. Im going to give him sixty more seconds and if he doesnt come out on his own accord, Ill just have to barge in and embarrass him because the deacons are going to be mad if our class backs up the commode again! About a minute later, just before she intruded on his privacy, the little guy swung the door open wide and swaggered out. Then he jerked his thumb over his shoulder and said with an exaggerated John-Wayne-sort-of-drawl, Sorry bout that Miss Laura but I was a little concentrated in there! The poor little rascal was plugged up, literally.

I laughed so hard the first time Laura recounted this anecdote I spewed coffee all over my shirt! And I couldnt help but think how much I can relate to Bubba because Im prone to getting plugged up too. Only my clog isnt a restroom-related issueits the anxiety that accumulates in my mind and heart when I focus on my seemingly endless to-do list or my achingly-pokey-international-adoption-process or my expanding thighs instead of Gods sovereignty. Instead of the divine promise that ultimately everything will work out for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28). Our hope is this Bible study guide on Overcoming Worry will help unclog your heart and clarify the truth Jeremiah proclaimed so many centuries ago:

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Eternal, plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hopenever forget that. Jeremiah 29:11 (The Voice)

Fondly in Christ,

Lisa Harper

Women of Faith Ministry Director

God is supernaturally tuned in to our frequency. His blazing eyes take in our slightest stir. His holy ears prick at our softest whisper. Better still, Hes in close proximity when we cry.

Lisa Harper, speaker

Life is littered with what ifs.

What if theres not enough money? Or resources to go around? Or the economy doesnt improve? What if the person weve trusted breaks her promise? Or doesnt fulfill his commitment? Or drops the ball completely? What if our health begins to fail? Or our loved ones pass away? Or we find ourselves alone?

Uncertainty surrounds us. The possibility of change can raise endless what if questions, causing us to worry. We all face legitimate challenges that need to be overcome, but whenever we allow fear to take to root, we create space for worry and anxiety to set up shop in our lives. Once they begin working, they dont want to stop.

Given enough time, worry can strangle the life out of us. In fact, the origin of the word worry when it first appeared in Old English meant to strangle. Over the centuries, it transitioned to mean to bite and shake, much like a dog treats a rubber toy. Eventually the word was understood as to harass or vex. In the early nineteenth century, worry adopted its more modern meaning, to make (or to be) persistently anxious.

Worry can cause us to lose touch with reality and move further and further from the truth.

Jesus knew this. Maybe thats one reason why time and time again He told the disciples to Fear not! Jesus never wanted us to be controlled by worry and anxiety but instead wanted us to be marked by faith and trust. Jesus recognized that worry has a way of subtracting God from the scene and making us believe were responsible for holding all things together.

We will never get rid of all the what ifs in life, but when they come, we can rest assured that we do not meet them alone. God is with us. We can choose to face uncertainty with faith and begin to walk in greater levels of confidence, contentment, joy, peace, security, and calmness.

My hope and prayer is that through this study youll begin to trust God with every what if that comes into your life and have greater confidence in His tremendous love and care for you.

Blessings,

Margaret Feinberg

Ebook Instructions

In this ebook edition, please use your devices note-taking function to record your thoughts wherever you see the bracketed instructions [Your Response]. Use your devices highlighting function to record your response whenever you are asked to checkmark, circle, underline, or otherwise indicate your answer(s).

When it comes to facing uncertainty, we can always find confidence, strength, and courage in God. He is always in control, even when life feels out of control. God remains our mighty refuge no matter what situation or storm we may be facing.

When legitimate concern morphs into toxic panic, we cross a boundary line into the state of fret. No longer anticipating or preparing, we take up membership in the fraternity of Woe-Be-Me. Christ cautions against this.

Max Lucado, pastor

A few years ago, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook became a best seller and spun off an entire series of books that prepared readers with step-by-step, illustrated instructions on what to do if the unthinkable happened. Whether readers found themselves caught in quicksand, near an erupting volcano, or sitting in a plane when the pilot blacked out, these handy pocket guides prepared them for all the perilous possibilities.

But these books werent the first of their kind. They simply followed in the footsteps of other popular titles, including The Paranoids Pocket Guide and The Hypochondriacs Handbook.

The demand for these kinds of humorous self-help guides suggests that we have a tendency to allow our minds to wander to what could go wrong. Most of us dont really need to know how to leap from a motorcycle into a moving car or wrestle free from an alligator. Wed likely consider such scenarios far-fetched or absurd. But if we take a good hard look at our everyday worst-case-scenario-type thoughts, many of us would find we spend countless hours and immeasurable energy worrying about situations that will probably never happen to us.