“Anxiety shows that we are too close to the world and too far from God.” John Piper
As a member of Scarlet Hope’s Outreach Team, nearly every Thursday night I go into the same Louisville strip club and sit and talk with the dancers there. Over baked pasta or fried chicken, we talk about everything from the weather to terminal illness.
As I get to know these women each week, God has slowly softened their hearts towards me and they are beginning to let me in. They share their worries and concerns with me. They share their fears, the things that keep them up at night. The things that make them cry or hide or try to escape from.
As they share these things with me, I boldly proclaim Truth to them, just like I know I should. I tell them about a God that loves them more than they could ever imagine and that knows every need they have. A God that tells us not to worry because we are valuable to Him and He will take care of us.
But I am struck by the realization that even as I proclaim this Truth, too often I don’t believe it. I make so many excuses: I’m a mom, so worry and fear are just part of life. We have school loans to pay off, of course money is cause for concern! What middle-aged American doesn’t stress out?!
If you’re like me and you make excuses for this sin of worry and fear, I encourage you to go read Matthew 6:25-34. I was incredibly convicted over my sin, but I was also surprisingly comforted by what I found there. In Matthew 6 we find that not only do we have a heavenly Father, but we have a heavenly Father who knows exactly what we need.
So last week when I was in my usual club, and my sweet dancer friend started sharing with me that she didn’t know how she was going to pay her rent that week, I told her with full confidence what I know to be true. I told her that I didn’t know how everything was going to work out for her, but I did know that we have a mighty and powerful God who knows exactly what she needs.
We prayed together that night, and it started out as a prayer for God to provide the $200 she needed. But then it turned into a prayer of confession, and after that, a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.
You see, God knew what she and I needed that night. And it wasn’t money, and it wasn’t reassurance or confidence. What we needed was Him. And that’s exactly what He gave us.
