Is anyone here today worried? I thought about asking for a show of hands, but I thought either everyone would raise their hand - or no one would. If you would have raised your hand, I have good news for you. I want to share what the Bible says about worry. I want to help you understand that worry is something the Bible speaks about in a number of places. Each time, it suggests that there is no need to worry, because God is there for you.
Popular televangelist, Joyce Meyer, says she likes to teach about worry while sitting in a rocking chair. That chair suggests the futility of worry - it creates a lot of activity but it gets you nowhere.
Worry is something most all of us do at one time or another. Sadly, many people worry all the time about many different things. Health is one thing many people worry about. A sweet grandmother telephoned Mount Sinai Hospital. She timidly asked, "Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?? The operator said "I'll be glad to help, Dear. What's the name and room number?" The grandmother in her weak tremulous voice said, "Holly Finkel in room 302." The Operator replied, "Let me check. Oh, good news. Her records say that Holly is doing very well. Her blood pressure is fine; her blood work just came back as normal and her physician, Dr. Cohen, has scheduled her to be discharged on Tuesday." The Grandmother said, "Thank you. That's wonderful! I was so worried! God bless you for the good news." The operator replied, "You're more than welcome. Is Holly your daughter?" The Grandmother said, "No, I'm Holly Finkel in 302. Dr.Cohen doesn't tell me anything!"
A nurse at one hospital received a call from an anxious patient. "I'm diabetic and I'm afraid I've had too much sugar today." the caller said. "Are you light-headed?" the nurse asked. "No," the caller answered, "I'm a brunette."
A very worried driver took his car to the shop and complained about a clunking sound every time he went around a corner. A mechanic was given the repair order and took the car to check it out. After making two right turns, and each time hearing a loud clunk, he returned the car to the service manager. On the repair order was this note: "Removed bowling ball from trunk."
So, in response to my opening question, what do people worry about today? According to the political pundits, it is now the economy. A few weeks ago, they said it was illegal immigration. Before that it was Iraq. But closer to home people worry about many different things. Some of you in school may be worried about tests or grades or college entrance exams or college applications. There's the nationwide mortgage mess: some of you may be worried about making your house payments. Or maybe it's the car payments. The cost of insurance is rapidly rising - especially medical insurance. Some of you may not have insurance and are worried that you might get sick or hurt and not be able to pay the bills. The list goes on and on.
Those of you who are on fixed incomes worry about the rising cost of heating and cooling your homes. That is a real concern for many. The Social Security System announced late last year that they were going to provide an increase of approximately three percent. That seems a bit small, to me. It will hardly cover the increased cost of utilities. I believe I have seen prices on many things, particularly gasoline, utilities and groceries rise much more than three percent. As a matter of fact, they just announced last week that inflation for 2007 was 4.1 percent.
Other folks worry about health concerns. I know many of you worry about Victor and Ruth; and I know that Ruth is very worried about Victor. As I mentioned last week, I am concerned that my one good eye may not continue to serve me well. But, I don't sit around worrying about it. I have learned to leave it in the Lord's hands. It is really difficult when you are concerned about some life threatening need or concern.
There are times when others cause us to worry - often needlessly. Lloyd Ogilvie tells of a time he was in New York City to speak. The night before his talk, he checked into a hotel and started work on finalizing his talk. Suddenly, the peace and quiet was shattered by the hotel fire alarm system. He quickly started to gather his things and search for the nearest exit. A voice then came over a speaker system telling all the hotel guests to remain calm and stay in their rooms. He said it was hard to remain calm while worrying about how to get out and whether there was really a fire or not. It didn't help, he said, that the voice on the loud speaker sounded pretty nervous and worried. He also knew, from an earlier conversation with the bell hop, that someone had been harassing the hotel with threats of arson. Soon, he heard the relief of that voice on the speaker system saying it was a false alarm. He got back to work and stopped worrying.
Maybe you have had an incident in your life that caused you to worry. How did you handle it? Did you fret and stew over it? Waste a lot of time wondering what could be done? When you have children, you worry a lot, don't you? Especially when they are out at night driving or riding with a friend. I read about one father who said, "I decided to stop worrying about my teenage son's driving and take advantage of it. I got one of those bumper stickers that say, 'How's my driving?' and put a 900 number on it. At 50 cents a call, I've been making $38 a week."
Sometimes you will find yourself worrying about a relationship that doesn't seem to be going the way you think it should. A person may worry about why their spouse doesn't act toward them the way they used to. Another may worry about why a friend has not called to talk with them in a while. A church member may worry about how others at church act or react toward them. I often read how visitors to churches worry about how they will be received or whether they will make a mistake in learning how that church does worship. There are so many things about which to worry!
I used to worry a lot. I would see a situation coming that I knew I had to deal with, but also knew it could be heated or even explosive. So, I would think it through in my mind. I would say to myself, "If I say this, then they will say that and then I can say this..." and on and on. I would drive myself crazy worrying about what to say and how to say it. Then, one day, I realized that those conversations never went the way I planned in my mind and all of that worry and debating in my mind was wasted time. I was wasting a lot of time worrying for no reason. The Bible says, "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." (1 Peter 5:7 NLT) Jesus Himself told us, "Do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say." (Luke 12:11-12 NLT)
There are several ways that worry can adversely affect your life. First, it can affect your health. Many people cause themselves to become ill, as a problem gets into their mind and they just worry too much about it. You have no doubt heard the expression "worried sick." It's true. You can make yourself sick if you worry too much about anything.
The second problem, which worry creates, is that it affects your productivity. When you begin to spend time wringing your hands and fretting over a problem, you start to lose productive time from your life. Ernest Hemingway said, "Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry:
Worry never fixes anything." Jesus said, "With God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26 NIV) So, when you begin to worry and see no way you can fix it, turn it over to God and leave it with Him.
The third way in which worry affects you is that you begin to treat others in a negative way. You have probably noticed how people who worry a lot seem to be "downers." Their worries drag them down and they drag everyone around them down. They treat people as if they are part of the cause for their worries. The Bible says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2 NIV)
The fourth way worry adversely affects you is the most pernicious and devastating way of all. It reduces your ability to trust God. You have probably heard people say things like, "If I had more faith, I could fix this." You may have told someone that if they had more faith they would not need to worry about a problem or situation . Ogilvie points out that faith is not something you produce, it is a gift from God. As a result, you cannot just "produce more faith." What you need is to spend more time with God, seeking His mind and will and listening for Him to guide you to the solution that is best for all concerned. Many times you look back and see how God has been active in a situation about which you wasted a lot of time worrying. Then, you realize that it did not work out the way you thought it would. It worked out even better!
Our text says, "Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident." (Psalm 27:3 NLT) In Hebrew thought, the word heart included intellect, emotion, and will. I believe that means that you must do more than just give intellectual assent to God's ability to solve your problems. It also means that you must tune your emotions to bring them in line with God's desires for you and you must align your will with His. All too often, you go to God and express your will for Him to act in a specific way. When He doesn't jump as you tell Him to, you begin to question your faith. Or, worse yet, you question God's existence.
When you look at the many different leaders of the Bible, you find most of them at some time or another had reason to worry. Moses felt that he was not qualified to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. He worried about the people not following him. When they got out into the wilderness, the people started worrying about what they were going to eat. The Lord provided that strange substance they called "manna" and they had all they needed. When they complained about having no meat, the Lord provided quail for them.
Joseph certainly had reason to worry. First, his brothers threw him into a pit and were going to leave him for dead. But they reconsidered, and sold him into slavery to an Egyptian. God, in His characteristic way, worked things out so Joseph became the second most powerful man in the kingdom. The wisdom which God gave him, helped save the Egyptian nation, as well as his own Israelite people.
You see, friends, sometimes you can't see the big picture. You tend to get caught up in your little piece of the world and you worry and fret over nothing, because you don't see the whole situation. The important thing to realize is that God does see the whole picture. He knows your needs far better than you do. David understood this. That is why he was able to write our text today; "The Lord is my light and my salvation--so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?" (Psalm 27:1 NLT)
Let's face it, David had his share of reasons to be afraid of others. As a very young man, he stood before Goliath, the Philistine giant, and yet, he was not afraid. He trusted God and found his faith well placed. He killed that giant with a single rock from his sling. When David became king of Israel, other nations with their massive armies tried to kill him. His own son set out to undermine his leadership of the kingdom, and take over the throne for himself. As a matter of fact, David wrote, "O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. So many are saying, 'God will never rescue him.' But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high." (Psalm 3:1-3 NLT)
David had plenty to worry about, but he found comfort in the strength that the Lord provides to those who place their faith in Him. It was that faith and confidence that allowed David to write, "Don't worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper." (Psalm 37:1-3 NLT)
At one point in Jesus' ministry, He and His disciples got into a boat, as He directed them, to go to the other side of the lake. Jesus went to sleep, as these experienced fishermen began sailing across the lake. The Bible tells us, "Soon, a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water." (Mark 4:37 NLT) Historians tell us that sudden storms were commonplace on that lake. Actually, they tell us that this "lake" was the Sea of Galilee, which is 680 feet below sea level and surrounded by hills. Winds blowing across the land intensify close to the sea, often causing violent and unexpected storms. The disciples began to worry that they might drown. But Jesus was asleep! These worried men came and woke Him up, saying, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?" (Mark 4:38 NLT) Jesus calmed the storm with a wave of His hand and a brief word. Then He said to the disciples, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (Mark 4:40 NLT)
The psalmist had more problems than he could handle. What did he do? He focused on God, not on the problems. His first thought was not "How can I deal with these problems?" His first thought was "What a magnificent and powerful God I serve." The Bible says, "As he thinks in his heart, so is he." (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV) David thought of God in his heart and so he was able to depend on God. That is the first secret to dealing with worry: spend your time thinking about God and drawing close to Him, rather than wasting your time thinking about the problem. In other words, ask yourself "What is God going to do about this situation?" rather than "What am I going to do about it?"
You see friends, you have the advantage over David, because you can look at God's promises and His providence through the perspective of calvary. Jesus said, "Take heart, because I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 NLT) You see, when you recognize Jesus as God's Son and you call on Him to take on your problems, you can claim that promise: He has overcome the problems of this world. If you go on in this Psalm to the next verse, you discover what you must do: proclaim your trust and faith in God. David said it this way, "The one thing I ask of the Lord--the thing I seek most--is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life," (Psalm 27:4 NLT)
Remember what Jesus said about worrying? He said, "I tell you not to worry about everyday life--whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" (Matthew 6:25-27 NLT)
The answer to your worries is not to try to produce more faith. Rather, it is to seek out God and spend time with Him - "dwell in His house." All too often, you let your problems push you away from God, when you really need to draw closer and let Him comfort and guide you. Then you can give thanks to God for using the things you worry about to drive you closer to Him.
Ultimately, once you learn to come to God, rather than push Him away, you can join the psalmist in his rejoicing. David said at the close of this Psalm, "I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord." (Psalm 27:13-14 NLT)
Prayer:
Gracious and loving God, help us come to You with our worries. Help us to always seek Your
face and be confident that You will work things out for the best in each of our struggles in life
over which we fret. Bless us in our problems that we might say with the Psalmist, "The Lord is
my light and my salvation, I will not be afraid." In Jesus Name. Amen.
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