Overwhelmed with worry

Why do we worry over so many things?

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. — Psalm 23:4

Recently, I was having a discussion with someone and they started sharing a lot of things that concerned them. They were worried about politics, current events in the Middle East, and all sorts of health concerns in their personal life. This person was overwhelmed with worry.

They were so overwhelmed that it had consumed their life. Every moment of every day was spent in worry over something. If they weren’t worried, it seemed as though they needed to find something new to worry about.

As we spoke, I thought back to this verse in Psalm 23. The Psalm is often used to comfort in times of need. Especially with the thought of walking through the shadow of death. Often, we talk of this verse about facing death and that we shouldn’t have concern.

But we must remember that David starts this verse with action. He says, “though I walk.” David realized that as dark and dismal as life may seem, he had nothing to dread and nothing to fear. He had no reason to be overwhelmed with worry about things that were beyond his control.

That is not to say David was a person that did not struggle with worry. He certainly did throughout his life. Yet, in this moment in time, he shared some of the wisest words with us all. As we go through our lives, we will face uncertainty and things beyond our control. Instead of being overwhelmed with worry, we must rely on God who is with us and in control of it all!