We’ve talked about worry on The Rebel Christian before—probably more than once! But today I want to talk about worry and anxiety in a different way.

If you’re familiar with TRC then you know I used to be a worry wart. There are times where all of us feel like we are buried in our worries—sometimes you give in to your emotions, and that’s ok! But you must always remember that there is a God in heaven who is always looking out for you and always has your back. No matter what you are facing, or how long you’ve been facing that situation, understand that God has not forgotten you—He sees you exactly where you are, and He knows what you need to keep moving forward.

These are things I always told myself whenever I felt like God was far away and I’ll be honest, it didn’t always make me feel better. Do you know why? Because I was talking to myself. I was worrying and fussing over an issue and constantly telling myself it’ll get better, reminding myself that God sees me, and whispering to myself that it’ll be ok. But I was saying nothing to God.

I never said anything to the one who could take all the pain away. I never explained how I was feeling to the only one who truly cared. I’m not saying I never prayed—but when I did pray, I wasn’t confessing my worries to God. I was just reminding God of how much faith I had, telling Him I wasn’t going to give up—letting God know that I still believed. All while trying to hide the very real worry, anxiety, and fear I felt deep down inside.

God, I know times are tough right now but I’m still holding on. It really hurts to go through this, Lord, but you know I love and trust in You no matter what. Jesus, I know that you’re here with me because you promised you’d never leave—I just want to say thank you for giving me the strength to hold on.

Or

I can make it through this trial, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me [Philippians 4:13]. God would never leave me nor forsake me [Deuteronomy 31:6]. Weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning [Psalm 30:5]. All I’ve got to do is just hang on until God blesses me.

If this sounds anything like you, please pay close attention to the rest of this article.

There is nothing wrong with encouraging yourself—in fact, I advise you to check out my latest article: Be Encouraged, which focuses on lifting your head during hard times. Self-encouragement is something every Christian will do throughout their walk with Christ but what I (and maybe some of you) might have forgotten, is that encouraging yourself does not mean leaving God out.

I thought quoting inspirational scriptures, reminding myself how much I trust and love God, and thanking God for strength would get me through my trials. There’s nothing wrong with any of these things—you should be doing these things during your struggles—but do them with the right mindset.

I was always telling God how much I trusted and loved Him—but it wasn’t my love for Christ that put Him on the cross. It was Christ’s love for me. I always told God how hard things were, but I never confessed how afraid I was. How could I expect myself not to worry when I wouldn’t even acknowledge it?

Sometimes we get so afraid of being seen as a weak Christian that we aren’t willing to acknowledge when we need help. For such a long time I tried to get myself to stop worrying by never confronting it, never owning up to it, or by pretending it wasn’t there.

But it was.

I was worried, I was afraid, and I didn’t know what to do because worrying is wrong—right? The Word tells us not to worry, to be not afraid [Matthew 6:34]. Worrying is evidence of a lack of faith. Worrying is a sin against God. You only worry when you don’t trust the Lord. We’ve all learned this, right?

So, why on earth would I ever acknowledge worry when it hit me?

Hiding the way you feel might fool the humans around you, but it will never fool God. If He sees your troubles, then He also sees their impact on you. If He sees your trials, then he also sees the way you behave when faced with them. God is all-knowing, just because you smile while you sing in worship service doesn’t mean He cannot see your aching heart. Just because you shout amen during the sermon doesn’t mean God is convinced you truly believe what you’re agreeing to. Just because you don’t pray about worry and anxiety doesn’t mean God isn’t aware that you’re feeling it. And as long as you don’t acknowledge and pray about it, it will continue to haunt you.

So, let’s get to the point of the article (haha) you cannot hide from God—thinking about an issue is not the same as praying about an issue. If you are worried, that’s ok! We are still human, and God understands—this is why we have been given Jesus who defeated worry and our troubles at the cross over two-thousand years ago.

No, you are not supposed to worry but yes sometimes you will; and when you do worry, just tell God. He won’t get mad at you; He won’t tell you that you have no faith—in fact, He will be pleased with you. Confessing your negative feelings to God is a sign of trust. That sounds weird right? Worrying is a sign of distrust, but admitting that you are worried is a sign of trust…?

Think of it this way; remember the first time you learned how to ride your bike without training wheels? You were really excited but also very nervous, weren’t you? And it was kind of hard—which you only realized after you began to pedal. But your father was right there with you the entire time. Even though you felt yourself leaning to one side, you tried to be brave and keep going, right? But it wasn’t until you spoke up that you realized your father truly had your back.

Imagine as you begin to fall over, you cry out; I’m afraid! I don’t have control! Don’t let me fall, Dad! And suddenly you feel your father reach down and stable you. You’re no longer falling over; in fact, you’re riding perfectly with their firm grip behind you. And even though your heart is beating wildly within your chest, you’re grinning from ear to ear because you know someone stronger than you has your back. You are not alone.

It’s the same thing with God the Father. God is always with you. He is strong enough to deliver you from your troubles; He knows you are afraid, but until you cry out and tell Him how you feel—you will not escape the worry. Its ok to be afraid, but its not ok to think that God won’t help you in your fear. Admitting that you are worried is showing God that you trust Him to give you peace. Keeping your worry a secret might seem like a good idea but in doing that, you are only telling God that you can handle this on your own. You don’t need His help or His peace.

Remember that God is always with you, but also remember that He wants you to come to Him for everything that bothers you.

God bless.