Though Leslie and I take good care of our girls, there are times when they worry that we are going to deprive them of something.  For example, I normally have breakfast set out for them every morning, but there are times when I do not.  When this happens, one or the both of them will panic.  They are little creatures of habit and get worried when breakfast is not ready when they wake up and will say, “Dad, what about breakfast?  Did you forget about breakfast?  Are we not going to have breakfast?”  And at times I reassure them that breakfast is on the way, but there are other times I will try and reason with them by pointing them to the past.

I will say, “In your few short years you have been alive, has there ever been a time when mommy or daddy has not fed you?  Have we ever withheld food from you?”  And of course they will say, “NO.”  Then I will tell them, “If that is the case—if we have fed you day after day, breakfast, lunch and dinner; what makes you think that today will be any different?”  At times, to keep my girls from worrying in the present, I will remind them of the past. 

In the same way, there are times in our lives when things do not happen according to our plans, and we get all worked up and question God.  There are times when we feel as if He is depriving us of what’s best.  During these times, it is important for us to be reminded of the work that He has done for us and His people in the past—to hear stories of his continued love and faithfulness toward those He loves so that we would not worry but trust in him in the present.