The Solution to Worry

.


(Today I was rummaging through some old Bible study files from my time at Gainesville Bible Church. I was struck by the relevancy and truth of something I wrote back in 2005 during my study of the Sermon on the Mount. It comes from Matthew 6:19-34. I wanted to share it with you because this passage has come to the forefront of my mind and heart repeatedly over the past year. Its truth is essential in the lifelong process of "growing young.")

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, [as to] what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, [as to] what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and [yet] your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" (Matt. 6:25-26)

The whole Christian life contains many sacrifices — sacrifice of family, friends, employment, security, comfort, and control. The goal is to lose ourselves so that we may find Christ living in and working through us. Paul said that whatever he had gained in his life — all the awards, all the acts of piety — he considered lost so that he may gain Christ and know Him and the power of His resurrection (Phil 3). Jesus told the crowd that if anyone was to be His disciple, they must be willing to deny themselves, take up their cross daily (not an easy task), and follow Him (Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23).

It is the sacrifice of control that Jesus addresses in Matthew 6. We all want to have control over our own destinies. We want to have control over our tomorrows. How unnerving it is to go into a night’s sleep not knowing what is going to happen the next day! Especially when that uncertainty revolves around something as basic and essential as bread. You see, God wants us to recognize that He and He alone is responsible for every thing that we have every day. And when we worry about things, we are assuming (even if we don’t recognize it) that there is a chance God will not take care of our worries and concerns. Just a speck of doubt can produce a mountain of worry.

The solution to worry is for us to keep seeking God and keep striving for His holiness (6:33). Let God take care of the “what ifs.” This is so much harder than it sounds! Yet it is very, very necessary for spiritual health.

Be God's.

.