On What To Do With Worry

"Yup, things are pretty bad right now." I don't think that thought has escaped too many people lately. But what can we do about it? Well, I'm so glad you asked (hee hee) because I've gotten some recent insights that I feel compelled to share...

Let me preface this by saying that as usual, this really should not be too earth-shattering. These are more things that I apparently needed to be reminded about and therefore, I assume that someone else could use a reminder as well. And since they are things that come straight from the mouth of Jesus, chances are pretty good that over the 20 centuries since He said them, there have been others who have needed these reminders. So I don't feel even a little bit bad about having been reminded or about doing some reminding. Really.

Reminder #1: Jesus said, "Don't worry about your life." (Matthew 6:25).
Easy for Him to say. He is, after all, the Son of the God of the universe. What could He possibly have to worry about? Right? Well, yes, this is true. But remember, He walked this earth just like the rest of us, so it's not like He has no idea what we're going through. And you know what? He says, "Your Father in Heaven knows" what you need (v. 32). He knows that you need food. He knows that you need your children to be healthy. He knows that you need companionship. And Jesus says, "Don't worry about it." A bit harsh, maybe. But a command, nonetheless.

Still not doing it for you? Ok, let's check in with someone else. Oops, our friend Paul says the same thing...Philippians 4:6 is one of those verses that tends to make people cringe: "Do not be anxious about anything." (How annoying - Paul and Jesus were on the same page.) Paul goes on to say that instead of worrying, we should let God know what's on our minds. This is not something we do because God doesn't already know what's bothering us. We do this for our own benefit. The wording Paul uses here is interesting. He's not saying that we should just tell God what we're worried about. The wording he uses is much deeper than that. The Greek for the phrase the NIV translates as "present your requests" is gnorizo which means "to have thorough knowledge of". So it's much more than just listing off a bunch of problems - it's coming to understand why we're worried about a particular issue and bringing that to God.

As we explore the whys of our worries, we get to the deeper issues of our faith. Are we worried about money and how we're going to pay our bills? Why? What we're really worried about is that God can not provide for us, even though He's told us (back in Matthew for example) that He will. Are we worried about a health issue? Why? What we're really worried about is that God can not provide healing, even though we know that nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).

But digging even deeper we find that even those of us who know that God can do anything, wonder if He will do anything. And that, my friends, is for Him to decide. I'm having some trouble swallowing that truth at the moment, but it is truth and my job as someone who claims to have faith in God for my eternal salvation is to ask God for the faith to live through every moment of every day, and believe that even if God chooses not to intervene on my behalf, He knows exactly what He's doing. He knows what's best for me, for the people around me, and He knows exactly how He will end up redeeming my situation and as a result, how He will be glorified in it.

So the question I jokingly asked God was this: "But God, I spend so much time worrying. If I give that up, what on earth will I do with all my time?"

Reminder #2: Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31).
Worry is really nothing more than a self-centered focus. A great way to break out of that (and therefore to obey Jesus' command) is to focus on someone else for a while. Get up, go out, and find someone else you can bless. Bring flowers to someone who can't get out. Bring a plate of cookies to a friend, just for the fun of it. When you go to church this Sunday, instead of asking God to bless you through the service, ask Him to point out someone to you who you can bless with the love He's given you. Do everything you can to take your focus off yourself.

If you've done what God told you to do, and you've presented your deepest requests and desires to Him, don't take them back. Thank Him for the way He is already working on your situation (did you see that part in Philippians 4:6?) Then accept the peace that He will give you (v. 7). Let that peace stand guard over your heart to fight off future attacks of worry. If the worry does sneak back in, stop as soon as you become aware of it. Hand it over to God, then ask Him to show you a new way to focus on someone else instead of yourself.

And if none of that works, check out this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb7TSGptd3Y