When you’ve been diagnosed with Hepatitis C or another liver condition it’s hard not to worry. Our thoughts naturally drift to thousands of questions and what ifs. Can you relate?

When my thoughts begin to dwell and nest on worry, discouragement or even anger over an unfair situation, I’ve found great comfort and help from the Bible in Psalm 37. David wrote many of the psalms. I like David. He was a normal guy, facing problems like the rest of us. He had plenty of reasons to worry. David probably slept with one eye open many times during his life.

Yet the lesson from Psalm 37 tells us that David made an important choice. He chose to put his focus on God instead of worry. He chose to trust God more and fear less. The Lord had given David great instruction on how to handle worry. In the entire 37th chapter the resounding message is this, “Do not fret.” We see it clearly 3 times!

Fret. Now there’s a word for ya. Fret means, to devour, worry, dwell, gnaw, wear away, to irritate or be irritated, disturbed. Can you relate to any of those? I was a melting pot of all of those and more.

You see God knows us so well. He knows when we start dwelling on thoughts of worry, fear, frustration, anger, etc… then we’re giving the devil a foothold to take us to an unhealthy, unholy place that brings no peace, no hope and no relief. It doesn’t go to a happy place!

Anger and worry (fretting) are two very destructive emotions. They reveal a lack of faith that God loves us and is in control. We should not worry; instead, we should trust in God, giving ourselves to him for his use and safekeeping. When we dwell on our problems, we become anxious and angry. But when we concentrate on God and His goodness, we will find peace. Where do you focus your attention?

The contrasting verses of worry are clear in Psalm 37, “Trust in the Lord and do good,” “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him…” “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him,” Psalm 37: 7

The theme of this Psalm is to trust in the Lord and wait patiently for him to act. This psalm vividly contrasts the wicked person with the righteous. But fretting is fretting no matter what the circumstance.

So we can glean great instruction in how to handle worry by stopping in our tracks, lift it up to God and keep our focus on Him. Trust. Commit. Be still before Him and wait patiently for Him.

Every time your thoughts begin to dwell on worry, stop and remember, Do not fret….it doesn’t go to a happy place, it will only harm you, instead take a moment to pray, give it to God once more and remember, He’s got it all worked out, you just haven’t seen the other side of it yet, but you will.

This entry was originally published on Life Beyond Hepatitis C, and is reprinted with permission.