Some time ago

Oswald said, "showing no concern for the uncertainties that lie ahead is the secret of walking with Jesus." I don't like that. Something about it doesn't seem right. 

I think it's something in the, apparently clear, connection between "not worrying" and "the secret following." I think he's got it backwards. Maybe it's just that I disagree with how he frames it. (Framing - one of my new favorite thought games. Sometimes deadly serious games.)

Don't talk about "showing no concern." Don't try to play around with negative constructions of the things we shouldn't do. They just evoke that thing. It's the whole Hegelian dialectic - everything contains its opposite. Don't say "show no concern for the uncertainties," that only reinforces the very thing its trying to caution against by evoking it in the psyche. 

Instead, say what it is we should do. Frame the discussion with phrases that posit something. Say, "take courage in the leadership of Jesus." Say, "be confident in the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the face of uncertainties." This could just be language games, but I think it's more than that. It's about how we think about things. 

That's why I like what Hudson says more. "The obedient are provided for," is his message. I prefer this too Oswald despite the danger of verging on health-wealth because, first, he's not creating a causal relationship, and second because he's talking from experience. The man was discussing his challenges with the China inland mission. He's stating the facts of his life in the light of scripture, and he says, it's not about not worrying, really. It's not about trying to determine whether or not you're worrying about the uncertainties. That just creates a cyclical worrying about worrying about worrying vortex that sucks you in until you give up (or if you give up right away, turns you off from thinking about uncertainties altogether). Instead, It's about the obedience, the following. Just do that. Focus on that. Think about being obedient, and if you do, guess what, you'll be provided for one way or another. I love that. It may mean not getting what I want. It may mean my plans failing. So what? I was at least obedient. After that I can trust that what I got was what I needed.