This is exactly what Jesus wants us to have though – hope. He says, “Do not worry.” Worry means we torment ourselves! We torment ourselves with disturbing thoughts or fret about things we cannot control. We torment ourselves – not God, not your spouse, not anyone else. Worry shows when people lose faith or lose hope or both. Our country is currently full of worry about the economy, education, healthcare, terrorism, and so much more. So take a breath, there is plenty of worry to go around. Jesus says, “Don’t do it.”
Why shouldn’t we worry when we do not know where our next meal is coming from or whether we will be able to afford clothing for our kids or if we will soon be without a home?
Because Jesus says life will go on. God makes sure the wild animals have plenty of food. God makes sure the wild animals have the necessary fur, skin, and feathers to stay warm. Why would we be any less important to Him than they are? We are not.
Worry has a lot of negative impact on our lives. Worry slows us down and causes us to stop caring for our bodies in a healthy manner. Worry can lead to depression. Worry can lead to heart attacks. Worry can lead to poor decision making. Worry can lead to very bad decisions. Worry can lead to addictions. Should I go on? Worry shortens our lives. So, Jesus says, “Don’t worry.”
When we worry we fail to ask for help. When we worry we cease praying. When we worry we become withdrawn in fear of what others may think if we want help. Worry never accomplishes anything. So, do not worry. But how can I not worry?
First, you need to seek God and His righteousness.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
By seeking God, we still cling to hope and this helps us to focus. Hope is our gift from God to keep us strong, level-headed, and able to endure rough times. Seeking God is a priority we need in our lives to stabilize and remove any fear we may face because fear due to worry can cripple the best of us. But Jesus says to do more – seek God and His righteousness.
When we seek God’s righteousness, we act in the right manner toward others. Worry causes people to fail to care for themselves and others. Worry can also grow into unhealthy anger or lead to unhealthy life choices. Rash decisions consume us when we are worried but righteousness enables us to keep going. Righteousness empowers us to overcome difficult situations, and add the works of the Holy Spirit, we become emboldened to push through the tough patches in our lives. Worry would have us believe that our fate is destined to doom while righteousness builds our character through perseverance.
Seek God and His righteousness and these things will be added to you. That is a tough pill to swallow when you are looking for work to help support your family but a necessary pill. It reminds us that we are finite and need others and especially need God. God is Jehovah-Jireh – God the Provider. When we are always busy fretting over our inability to handle a problem we are forgetting about all God is doing to sustain us.
Worry will not give us more time to make things right. God and His righteousness are right. Through Him we have being. Through Him we have life. Through Him we face and overcome fear. Through Him we can struggle through the worst that life can throw at us. It is all through Him.
Will life be harsh? You bet. Will life be fair? No way. Will life get better? Only through Jesus Christ who is our strength. Faith and hope are guiding principles in this life to help us overcome worry and fear. Without them we languish in our pains and perish. So many people who make up their own truth spend a lifetime misunderstanding God’s grace and rejecting it. They end up lonely, and even more, they end up disillusioned and regret filled.
Jesus wants us to engage in more fruitful aspects of life. When we spend too much time fretting over our next meal, we lose site of how to minister to the needs of others. We wonder why so many people reject or turn against the Christian faith. Maybe we should be wondering why we reach so few with the Gospel.
Are we really living out our faith or are we obsessed with worry? Are we more concerned about what we will leave behind in this world or are we more concerned about the lives in this world? Do we care or are we worried?
Tomorrow will take care of itself. Tomorrow is good enough at worrying. Christians have more important things to be engaged in – like, as Rick Warren
puts it, eradicating spiritual emptiness, corrupt leaders, poverty, diseases, and illiteracy. You can plan for tomorrow but stop worrying about it. You can seek financial well-being but do not let it consume you. You can care for the needs of your family, but do not let it draw attention away from honoring and loving God. But I am losing my home. No buts. Stop tormenting yourself. Do not let your priorities get out of whack! Seek God first and His righteousness. Then go from there.
We are hungry. Tell someone. Stop fretting. Ask for help. Get a second job delivering pizzas. Seek God and His righteousness. Making the right decisions will help you focus better on how to better trust God’s provision of your needs.
We need clothes. Stop worrying. Swallow pride, if necessary, and seek help. Seek God and His righteousness. Don’t let your worries interfere with how God is helping you. Trust Him. Fix your priorities and the other things will take care of themselves!
As for the church – there are people losing their homes, hungry and needing clothes all around you. What are you doing sitting around in holy huddles? You’ve prayed about it enough. Now go do what God called you to do. You already have your marching orders.
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