DON’T WORRY

 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

                In 1988, Bobby McFerrin came out with a song titled. “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” The first stanza of that song is pretty profound.

Here's a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't worry be happy
In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry you make it double
Don't worry be happy
Don't worry be happy now

                The tune was catchy and many people found themselves singing it to themselves. Don’t worry, be happy. It sounds good, but most of us have a hard time actually doing it. Worry is a common malady among us humans. Animals don’t worry, but people do.

                There is much in our world today that could cause us to worry. The political divide in our country is just one example. There is global unrest, natural disasters, and the persistent threat of another global pandemic.  It would be nice to move to a Caribbean Island, camp out on the beach, and forget about the rest of the world, but that isn’t going to happen. Daily we are faced with the trouble and turmoil all around us. So what are we to do?

                Rather than trying to escape from the things that cause us anxiety, we need to take positive steps to address our worry. Jesus addressed the issue of worry in the Sermon on the Mount.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV)

                Jesus gives us some insights into dealing with worry. To make His point, He highlights our obsession with food and clothes. Most of us, fortunately, are not worried about having clothes to wear or food to eat, although many in our world are. For most of us the obsession we have is having the “right” clothes and eating the “right” food. Many people are slaves to the latest fashion trends. If they don’t have whatever the trend setters declare is the latest fashion, they are depressed and anxious. For others, food has ceased to be a source of fuel for their body, but an obsession with being sophisticated, trendy, or politically correct regarding what they eat. Both of these obsessions lead people to look down on others who don’t follow the latest fashion or who don’t eat according to the “rules.”  

                Jesus makes it clear that when we are anxious about food and clothing, for whatever reason, we are focused on the wrong thing. Jesus tells us that our worry is really a lack of faith in God’s goodness. What is important is not what we wear or what we eat, but our value as people made in the image of God. God loves us beyond measure. Our value is not based on what we wear or eat, but on who we are in Christ.

                There are many other things that cause us to worry besides food and clothes. But the same principle applies. When we allow those things to consume our energy, we are failing to trust God. This does not mean that we stick our head in the sand or that we don’t take things seriously. It means that we take our concerns to the one person who can do something about them.

                Paul zeros in on a positive plan for dealing with worry in our lives. Instead of denying our anxiety, we need to express it to God in prayer. Prayer becomes a release valve for the anxiety that builds up inside of us. If we read through the Psalms, we see David doing this time and time again. But David didn’t just complain to God. He also affirmed his trust in God. And that is what Paul is telling us to do. Express your worry, but then claim God’s promise to be with you. The peace of God comes when we fully trust God to deal with the trials of life.

                Jesus said the same thing at the end of his instructions on worry.

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:31-34 (NIV)

                Instead of being consumed by worry, Jesus tells us to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness. When we seek God’s kingdom first, He puts all the rest of the things in life into proper perspective.

                Jesus is telling us to not let worry over the “what if’s” of life rob us of the energy we need for today. God’s grace is always sufficient for the day. God will give us what we need when we need it, not before. Worry clouds our future and robs us of the joy God wants us to experience today.

                Bobby McFerrin was right when he said that worry only doubles the burden we carry. But instead of trying to produce an artificial happiness, we can tap into the peace of Christ that assures us that God knows what we need, and that He will provide it at the right time.

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
Luke 12:22-23 (NIV)