Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,But a good word makes it glad” (Proverbs 12:25).
Have you ever noticed that when Jesus pulled a petrified Peter from the water, he offered no words of comfort? Instead, he rebuked him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Mt.14:31).Earlier, the disciples were failing to make headway at the oars in a violent storm. Did Jesus thank them for waking him from his sleep? No, not even a kind word for their efforts to save him from certain peril. He rebuked them then too: “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” (Mt.8:26). Only then did he calm the storm with a word.Faith is the answer to anxiety. It took a while for the disciples to understand that a ‘good word that makes glad’ can come in the form of a heart-correcting rebuke.But let’s face it, issuing regular heart-correcting rebukes as ‘help for the anxious of heart,’ is just going to make you and me a lot of enemies. We need to develop the habit of meeting everyone with a kind word. This covers all the bases. Those who are joyful will overflow with more abundant joy, and those who are anxious will be made glad. Anxiety is not always bad thing. It’s that alarm system that tells us that something has intruded into our lives that needs to be investigated. Panic is to be over-ridden by faith and prayer. We cry out to God for calm, wisdom, and courage. I assure you God will provide!The point of the proverb is this: “When the anxious hear your kind words, their spirits will be lifted.”Become an expert at giving out kind words – God will bless that!John StaigerIf you have been blessed by this message, please feel free to: Like, Comment or Share it with your friends.
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