Psalm 118:6 A Simple Verse Regarding Worry

Psalm 118:6 “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

To worry is to be human – at least it seems. I know that I have my fair share of it. In fact, it’s incredibly easy to let life become consumed with worry. There are just too many unknown variables that might befall us. And that is the crux of the issue.

I worry about finances. I worry about health. I worry about my family. I worry about the economy and whether I’ll make enough to buy groceries. I worry about whether we’ll have enough for retirement, or even if we’ll have enough to build a house. The last one has been my most consistent source of worry as of late.

You see, in order to build a house – a modest house, mind you – we’ve been getting estimates for up to $800,000. There’s just no version of my life where that’s even a faintest possibility. Materials are too expensive, labor costs are too high, interest rates are going up, taxes are going up, and there is no reason to hope for a better outcome; at least, not in the near future.

Unfortunately for us, I work in the public sector. It’s not like I can just ask for a raise. It has to be negotiated with the city. Even if we are fortunate enough to get a raise, it will be miniscule. Most likely, it won’t even come close to the cost of living increases that we’ve seen, so in all actuality, we’re still taking a pay cut.

Psalm 118:6 The Lord is with me

Because of these financial issues, I worry. In the last post, I talked about how it was my responsibility to provide for my family. Part of that certainly includes providing adequate housing. Our 600 square foot house is by no means adequate.

Because I am worried about being able to provide something that I clearly cannot, I attempt to work more. More overtime, more business ventures, more side hustles, more investment opportunities. Anything that I can think of that could possibly change our fortunes.

It’s been this way for years, but it has taken a significant toll on me in the past year or so. I’m sure that part of that is due to the rising costs of construction and the demoralizing affect from it. I felt as though we were so close to reaching out and touching our dream, making it a reality – and then it vanished.

So even though I am making more money this year through all of my efforts, it’s so far from having any effect on our position that it’s laughable. Every overtime that I work is 12 hours, for a measly $300. That barely provides a couple trips to the grocery store, let alone making a dent on an $800,000 house.

Psalm 118:6 I will not be afraid

Here’s the part that I have finally come to understand, but make no mistake – it’s not easy. The simple truth of Psalm 118:6 is that IT DOES NOT MATTER. Whether I worry about my ability to provide a house, whether we ever build a house or not, or whether I am poor the rest of my life does not matter.

Now, I certainly do not want to be poor. I’d love to be financially independent. I would love nothing more than to build our house, retire early and make Youtube videos every day. But those are all wants, and it truly does not matter if I get them or not. No, let me rephrase that. It does matter, but me worrying about them will not have any effect on the outcome.

If I were to get those things, it would have a dramatic impact on my life. Conversely, if we were not then life would be much more difficult. I am learning to have faith; moreover, to trust that they will come. Not on my timeline, but on God’s. That will only be when I am ready to receive them. It’s funny how things work out that way.

For all the years of struggling, and beating my head against a wall trying to force success to come, perhaps the simple answer is to surrender completely. I do know that worrying about it will not change a thing.

Psalm 118:6 What can mere mortals do to me?

Now, these issues are mostly socially induced. It’s not like we have an arch nemesis that’s causing our despair. The fact remains that since the Lord is with me, there’s no reason for me to worry about the future. This is a lesson that is repeated throughout the Bible, but I’ve chosen this verse because it speaks to me.

The Lord is with me. I will not be afraid.

I will work, and keep working towards our goal. God gave us dreams for a reason; He wants us to attain them. He wants us to be successful. However, we’re not meant to obsess and worry about them.

In fact, worrying about it is troubling because it indicates a lack of trust in HIM. It’s a natural human phenomenon, but it’s almost like saying, “Lord, I know that you can provide the things that I’m asking, but I’m worried about them because I don’t reaaaaaallllllly trust that you will.”

I can see how that can be a great source of consternation to Him. He knows what we want, and He knows when we’ll get it. We can speed up the process by surrendering our worry in absolute trust.

Furthermore, the more we obsess about our dreams (and I’m completely susceptible to this), the more we create idols out of those dreams. The more we worship them. And that just simply removes our reverence for the one we should be honoring.

Like I said, it’s not easy. I still catch myself worrying. But worry leads to despair, and it leads us further from God. Just try repeating Psalm 118:6 the next time you find yourself worrying, and surrender that worry to Him.