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Uncertainty about the future has always been a factor in human life. While things like food and medicine are much more available and certain than in the past, globalization and modern life have brought problems of their own. Our economy and health, as well as our very lives, are vulnerable and dependent on many factors. We never know what tomorrow will bring.
Yet Jesus taught very clearly: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Mt 6:34)
Whatever worries we may have about the future—health, unemployment, raising our children, illness—we need to leave everything in God’s hands, and accept whatever He allows to happen. We have to do our part today and let “God’s will be done.”
One who walks beside us
It’s important to remember that God does not take the weight of our worries without asking. He walks beside us, unobtrusive and patient, waiting for us to call on Him and turn the worries and tribulations of the day over to Him.
This does not mean that we shouldn’t think about the future at all or take steps to provide for our future needs. It would be irresponsible not to do our best to think through our important decisions and choose today what will also be of benefit tomorrow.
What it does mean is that we should accept that what we can do is limited, and God will not abandon us. Just as the future could hold difficulties and problems, it could also hold unexpected blessings. As St. Paul says, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Praying always
Therefore, we need to be in tune with God all day long. That means praying always: morning, afternoon, evening, in the car, on the street, while walking or sitting. The Risen Lord is near, but we forget about it and we feel as if we are left struggling alone.
We should get used to talking to God, all the time, in good times and bad, seeking to become deeply aware of His Presence.
We must surrender everything to Him at every moment. If you have a difficult task to do that worries you, hand it over to the Lord, and you’ll see that it will be easier. If it is fear that distresses you, surrender it to God, and rest in Him. If it’s an irreparable loss, surrender what has been lost to Him. Only then will peace be possible.
We must learn to surrender everything to God and accept what He has allowed to happen. This is a slow, long learning process that requires perseverance, but it’s totally worth it.
Solace in the Psalms
We can repeat over and over again the words of the psalmist:
“O Most High, when I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not afraid…” (Ps 56:2b-4a).
“In God I trust; I am not afraid…” (Ps 56:11).
“O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by.” (Ps 57:1).
We can return to these Psalms often, and to many others, especially in the times when our faith wobbles. We should put the helm of our life back in God’s hands each day, and “live one day at a time.”
Where do you find your sense of security?
Don’t think about tomorrow because you won’t have the energy for it. If there are storms along the way, don’t be frightened or despair. At the end of the storm, you’ll see that there was no setback, and no time wasted, but a rich experience that you lived and that will make you stronger, more serene and compassionate in the face of life.
You’ll realize that you’ve overcome a little more the selfish desires and the feeling of insecurity that used to oppress you. It’s in the struggle that the fighter becomes stronger.
Little by little we can learn, in the struggle of life, day by day, that our security depends exclusively on God and not on us, nor on our possessions, knowledge, power, or influence.
