Worry

A puritan preacher, John Owen, wrote:

“It is irrational for a Christian to worry, because in doing so a Christian would be saying,
‘God, I trust you with all of my eternity, just not with Thursday.’”

Tom Petty is quoted as saying, “most things I worry about, never happen anyway.”

Today’s sermon reminds us of how worthless it is to worry.

Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
Matt 6:27

Yet, we let worry control us; we give it power over us. The German word for worry is ‘worgen’ meaning ‘strangle.’ The image this suggests is my hands wrapped around my neck interfering with blood flow and breath – two vital functions necessary for life. Worry cuts these off, in a manner of speaking, often leading to paralysis or the inability to act. It cuts us off from trusting God in all things in our lives.

When we begin to trust God, we begin to remove our hands from our throats and find them now pointed upwards to heaven. Leave them there and instead of worrying, pray to our heavenly father; worship him and thank him for all he does for us.

Our society tells us we don’t have enough; we aren’t doing enough; we aren’t being enough. Just watch the ads on television – vacation here or vacation there, buy this and the women/men will love you; purchase the latest and greatest gizmo to make your life easier. Yet, we struggle everyday with who we are and have less time to rest and relax than ever before.

Martha is bustling around the house cooking and cleaning for Jesus while Mary sits at Jesus’s feet giving him her full attention. Martha complains to Jesus because Mary isn’t helping her. Jesus replies,

Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.
Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her.
Luke 10:41-42

When is the last time you rested in the Lord? When is the last time, you had a real conversation with him? When is the last time you were all in trusting him with your every need?

Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6

Jesus left the 99 sheep and went after the one. We need to leave the 99 things we are worrying about and go after The One. Replace worry with prayer. Worry is not a productive use of time – Prayer is. 366 times the Bible instructs us, do not fear.

Therefore, do not be anxious saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear?
For the Gentiles seek after all these things and your heavenly father knows that you need them all.
Matt 6:31 – 32.

Worry ends when you fully trust God with everything.

Serenity Prayer
God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

May your week be blessed!

– psg –