Rejoicing In The Word For Ladies – Don’t Borrow Trouble! (September 2025)

Prepare for the future, but don’t borrow trouble! I’m remembering a consultation I once had with my doctor before an upcoming surgery. I had been doing a little self-education with the informative Dr. Google (a good friend). I was concerned about a rare but frightening possibility that could come up during the procedure. The doctor’s response was, “Don’t borrow trouble.” What did he mean? I think, at that moment, he was suggesting that it would do me no good to worry over circumstances beyond my control. Beyond that, no worrying on my part would affect any potential outcome.

Of course, little orphan Annie cheerfully sang, “The sun will come out tomorrow,” and L.M. Montgomery motivated her readers toward hopefulness in Anne of Green Gables with “Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet.”

But there are also Bible verses that apply to these situations. The Word of God promises in Lamentations 3 that the mercies of God are new every morning. Proverbs 27:1 cautions, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” In Matthew 6, the emphasis is made on preparing for heaven above all else! In verse 34, Jesus says, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

What does it mean, then, for a Christian to prepare for the future? We know we are wise to do this for the Bible tells us so. “The prudent man looketh well to his going” Prov. 14:15b. “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished” Prov. 22:3. Another good verse is 1 Cor. 2:15, “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things…”

There are a few keys to remember:

     1)     Trouble will come. There are many verses in the Psalms that refer to “the time of trouble.” Job bluntly states, “Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” Jesus spoke of trials and troubles in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” To paraphrase: “Trouble will come, but don’t borrow trouble.” lol

     2)     Avoid it if you can. Spiritual discernment is key. By exercising good judgment, we can avoid plenty of trouble.

     3)     Don’t waste life worrying. As Corrie Ten Boom once said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.” “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” Matt. 6:27.

     4)     Prepare for what you can. Walking with the Lord today is the best preparation for walking with Him tomorrow. To prepare is to be made ready. It is a process. “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” 1 Pet. 1:13.

     5)     Cry out to God – “Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” Php. 4:6.

Don’t borrow it. Don’t fear it. Don’t obsess over it. Place your hand in His and walk with Him. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.” (Psa. 46:1-3)

“But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble.” (Psa. 37:39)

(V.K.S.)