Momentary Atheism

Proverbs 3:5-6 says this: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path."  These are wise words from King Solomon and words that every Christian must live by.  To trust in the Lord with all of our hearts is a daunting task.  We get weary, we get worn down and we carry burdens that are, at times, unbearable.  However difficult things get, we are still supposed to trust God above all else.  Many times, we let the flesh or the physical man win out and we end up as momentary atheists.  This term came from a good friend of mine, Brother Ken Moore.  We were sitting in bible study and talking about worry and he said, "worry is momentary atheism" and I totally agree.  It is a fitting euphemism for those of us that place circumstances above our God!  We forget that God works all things to the good, we forget that God is the Sovereign Ruler of the universe, we forget that God can simply think about us and things change!  Most of all, we forget that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father and that there is nothing that comes to us that hasn't come through Them! 

Jesus had sage advice for the worrier- he says the phrase "do not worry" or "don't be worried" five times in 10 verses through Matthew 6:25-34.  Worrying won't add an hour to our lives, but it can actually take years off because of the stress that it causes.  Worrying won't change our circumstances, but it can actually make them worse because of the stress that it causes.  Worrying won't put food on the table, but it can cause you to lose your appetite because of the stress that it causes.  Worrying about tomorrow won't change what tomorrow holds because tomorrow has enough trouble of its own.  These are words from the Lord of glory and we would be wise to take heed to them.

Lest I sound like a hypocrite, I have been worried about things.  I have stressed over situations and I have had moments of "momentary atheism".  My worry made my problems bigger than my God and that was an even bigger problem than the problem that I had!  Try saying that three times fast.  My worry caused me to spaz out on my family, to snap at my kids and my wife and it caused me immense physical stress.  Then I had a moment alone with God where He spoke peace to my soul.  Once I remembered WHO GOD WAS and that I actually had a relationship with Him through Jesus, my worries dissipated and my faith went to work!  God spoke plainly when He said for me to live in faith and not in fear.  That's why Paul's words mean so much when he says that we walk by faith and not by sight.  Walking by sight creates emergencies for us and rather than understanding that God has already fixed them, we bug out and start trying to solve the problem ourselves.

Having an unyielding trust in an all powerful God is essential to the Christian walk.  When those moments of doubt and worry come up, remind yourself that God's name is Jireh, the great provider.  Remember that His name is Nissi, the banner in battle.  His name is Shalom, the peace that surpasses all understanding.  Be blessed and please keep me in prayer.  I will do the same for you!