WORRY

Matthew 6.25-end

‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

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I am trying to drink less caffeine.

I’m trying to give it up, or at least, reduce my dependency on it. I noticed that it was making me more tired, more worn out, more frustrated, more angry, but also more full of worry. Things would pop into my head; worries of a future that hadn’t happened yet, I was worried about lots of things, the thoughts would intrude into my mind. Catastrophic Scenarios would race around my head and I would say to myself ‘prepare yourself for this, cause it’s going to happen.’

Ok so I think it’s more than the caffeine, I think partially its temperament, partially upbringing, a lot of it will be genetic, some of us are more prone to worry than others for a variety of reasons. But worry is a real problem for people.

These verses from the gospel reading move me and move me powerfully. It wasn’t always so, earlier in my life I would feel judged when I heard them. I would feel judged because i felt that it was somebody shouting at me telling me not to worry; so I would feel bad because I was thinking ‘i’m not allowed to worry, I should not worry.’ For me it was a bit like those passages where Jesus says ‘O ye of little faith, why did you doubt.’

But I don’t read these in a judgemental or a condemnatory way anymore. As I have gone on my Christian walk I have felt more and more the love of God in my heart, I’ve realised how Jesus meant these verses to be heard.

In this passage, Jesus is saying that he cares for us, that his Father cares for us, Our heavenly Father knows the things that we need, he knows that we need food, he knows that we need clothing, he knows that we need everything that we need. He tells us that the lilies of the fields and the birds of their air are all looked after by our heavenly father, and if they are looked after by him, how much more will he look after us.

He also says that worrying isn’t helpful, it doesn’t anything positive to our lives at all; how can worry add a single hour to our lives.

Now here me correctly, I’m not saying that we need to be reckless, do whatever we want and not have to worry about it and that God will make everything ok. Rather I’m saying that worries don’t need to take over our lives.

This is about knowing who God is, that is what Jesus is trying to say here, it’s about knowing that we can trust him. But it’s more than that. Remember, Jesus’ mission is to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. And in that there is risk, in that there is cost. This is about prayerfully discerning where God is calling, and having the courage to follow him where he is leading. It’s about trusting that he will provide for us, that if we take a leap of faith, he will be there to catch us.

Once again, isn’t shouting at us saying ‘do not worry’ in a big booming voice, that’s the last thing any of us need to hear in our lives; particularly in this day and age. But rather, like a good Father who holds a child in his arms, he says ‘don’t worry, because I care for you, I am here for you, I know that what you are going through is difficult.’

What I find helpful, is talking to God about my worries. If I’m really frustrated by something or there is something on my mind, I write it all down (I type it actually) and I find the pressure of worry lifts. I think that is what King David did when he wrote the psalms, talking about how his enemies who were after him and asking ‘where are you Lord,’ he was worried, of course he was, have a read of the psalms one day and see, there’s some dark stuff in there. Look at psalm 88 in particular, which is filled with nothing but despair.

God isn’t saying ‘control your mind so that you do not worry’ if that were true then many of the lament psalms would be unbiblical,. Rather what he is saying is that we need to trust, trust in God; know that he cares for you, know that he will give you the things that we need (not necessarily the things we want mind, but the things we need). Trust in God, but process your feelings as well, because God does want to know what you’re feeling.

It’s about a relationship, a deepening relationship. When you meet somebody you may feel a bit tentative at the beginning, you may wonder if you can trust them, you may even test to see whether the other person cares for you. To be honest, I think it’s the same with God; he wants us to see if we will stick our necks out and trust that he will provide for us. I think he wants us to grow in relationship with him, to go deeper and deeper into the adventure of faith.

This life of faith is hard, it really is. Sometimes we find it hard to trust God, sometimes we go through a difficult time and wonder where God is.

Saint Paul was an amazing person who went through all kinds of things for his faith. He says this in 2 Corinthians chapter 11

"Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.  I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."

It wasn’t easy for Paul, he had a lot on his plate, planting churches and facing persecution for his faith.

Yet his life was one that was filled with joy, because when we trust God, and trust him with all our heart, and take risks for him, our faith is rewarded, and we are given the things that we need.

Seek to follow God and his will for your life, Seek God’s kingdom and its righteousness, and all the things you need will be given to you as well.

Remember it’s all about a relationship, let God grow your faith, and over time calm your worries. It will be hard, it will be testing, but it is most certainly worth it, for the joy that comes from knowing deep in your heart that no matter what you’re going through that God will provide for your needs, knowing that you are secure in him, is incomparable.

Know that you are secure in him.

Amen