Events, people and circumstances are many times beyond our control. Worry can eat away our joy and sense of security.

The headlines are telling us things we did not imagine last year. Wealth and financial security are eroding and are being taken away. Jobs and the economy are unstable and cannot be relied upon, unimaginable last year.

God has said, repeatedly, that we are not to put our trust in money, ourselves, or even our leaders. Our trust is to be in Him. And we are to pray for our leaders.

Worry is fixing our eyes on the wrong things”¦trusting in God is to fix our eyes on Jesus”¦He is the Author and the Perfecter of our faith. It is Jesus the Christ Who is our Leader and the Source of our faith. It is Jesus Who brings us to maturity.

(See Hebrew 12:2 Amplified and NIV)

Jesus said:

(NASB) Matthew 6:27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?”

Worry will not lengthen your life. Rather, worry can shorten your life. Worry affects your body and its proper functioning.

Worry and anxiety are tied to any number of physical and mental illnesses.

You and I are to consciously put our trust in the living God. He will work in and through His children. His work in us will cause us to lead a fuller and more effective life.

There is a hymn refrain whose words are of great comfort”¦written by Helen Howarth Lemmel

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.”

Do not worry”¦Turn your thoughts toward Jesus.