I am Consumed with Worry....

My mind is consumed with worry.

The economy is in bad shape. Jobs are being lost. Debt is piling up. No one knows what to expect with the transition in presidencies. People are hurting and fearful.

My mind is consumed with worry.

Not that “I” am worried. But I am consumed with thoughts of the worries of people I care about.

Worry is an ugly, mangey beast with long, razor-sharp teeth that tear at the soul and shred the fabric of peace in our lives. It is the monster under the bed that chases us through our dreams, causing us to lose sleep. And we are not content to allow the enemy of our souls to batter us with worry…we humans have a tendency to receive the weapon with open hands and use it to club ourselves.

We even worry when we are NOT worried because we fear we should be worrying and if we are not, then something is SURELY wrong with us.

Silly, isn’t it?

I love Jesus’ discourse on worry in the gospel according to Matthew. Do you remember what He said?

"…..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?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 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."

If the Savior of my soul who - knowing what He was about to face but who went silently to the cross anyway for my sake – says not to worry, then why should I?

I am so encouraged by what Peter wrote to us those many centuries ago when he penned these words about worry and what to do with it. Speaking of our Lord, Peter said cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

I remember the morning a few years ago when I rolled out of bed, sheets rumpled from a restless night of fretting and I told the Lord I just didn’t have the energy to put forth on worrying anymore and that from now on I wanted to take Him at His Word. I am certain that is what He was waiting to hear.

He said "peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. " (John 14:27)

I used to beg God for peace. Now I understood He had already given it. My prayer changed to “help me rest in the perfect peace you have already given.” And He did.

I used to be painfully explicit in giving God instruction in how He should answer my prayers. Now I could hear Him saying “…when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6: 7 – 8)

If God knows what we need before we even ask, then what are we to do as we wait for those needs to be met?

Matthew 6:33 - But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Sometimes we are tempted to take things into our own hands again anyway because God seems to be late in responding to our trust. We forget that He said to "Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

Our willingness to ”be still” is evidence of our trust. And we can trust Him in the waiting because we know that not only will He supply our need, but He (Ephesians 3:20) “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.”

So, the question should not be “are you worried,” but rather, “Do you trust Him?”

Worry never changed anything.

Trust in our Lord? That changes everything.