When Worries Come True

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

Do you find yourself worrying about worst-case scenarios?

What if my child gets knocked down on the playground and breaks a bone?

What if my loved one is in a car accident?

What if that lump is malignant?

It’s easy to allow our minds to wander to the dark side of the moon. When I was 20 weeks pregnant with my second child, I heard the words no woman wants to hear from her doctor: “Your baby has serious chromosomal defects, and she isn’t going to make it. She will probably die in the womb in the next few days.”

My hopes were violently shaken, yet I clung to the verse I had read that morning from Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” My understanding was saying, The worst-case scenario is coming true! In the words of the psalmist in Psalm 46:2, it was as if the earth was quaking underneath me and the mountains were crumbling into the sea.

Yet amidst chaos and trouble, God was there.

Perhaps the tumultuous times of life are when he reveals himself most clearly. Whenever I walked into church during my troubled pregnancy, I sensed God’s presence in a powerful way. God brought me daily peace and comfort I cannot explain. My little baby girl kept living past the doctor’s expectations. Then, six weeks later, her heart stopped beating.

God was my refuge during that stinging time of loss, and I know he can be your refuge too. Even when worst-case scenarios come upon us, God can be trusted. The worrisome what ifs cannot overturn God’s faithfulness.

Copyright © 2016 by the author and Today’s Christian Woman

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