2 Chr 24:17-25
2 Cor 8:9
Mt 6:24-34
'Stop worrying!' Worry is a symptom of a deeper problem, lack of trust or weakness of faith . . . . When we give in to worry, we implicitly suspect plans for us might not be good enough. We feel fear that things might not work out right, so try to figure out ahead of time what we should do if things go wrong ---- when fails us. We try to control everything, so that mistakes will not disrupt our plans . . . . It sounds absurd, but that is because worrying is absurd. Who can take better care of us?
Jesus mentions some typical subjects of our worry : money, work, food clothing. We still tend to worry about these things. But, in modern times, people worry more than ever before. The "information age" has produced an age of anxiety. Now people worry about everything they hear on the news ---- oil prices, food shortages, taxes, terrorism, climate change . . . . What does all this worrying accomplish? Nothing!
What is the difference between anxiety and fear? It is a matter of usage ; people tend to use the word 'anxiety' in preference to 'fear' when it is a question of unlocated fear ---- a vague disquiet that goes looking for a reason to be fearful when there is none at hand. Or it is used to refer to impotent fear : When there is nothing you can do, when even running away is useless, because everything is out of your hands. If anxiety stays with you habitually it becomes part of you ; it gets to be like a second skin, coming between you and everything you do. If you are an anxious person, put a large (word)'red' "X" on today and come back to it again and again!
The Lord points to simple examples from the world of nature. Look at the birds in the sky. Look at the wild flowers. If the Father provides for them beautifully, "will he not provide much for you, O weak of faith?" Of course he will! Jesus is not telling us that we have no responsibility for the future. He is telling us not to live like unbelievers, who "are always running after these things." We have a Father in heaven who knows all that we need, so we have a basis for refusing to give in to useless anxiety.
The roots of worry can find their way into our hearts almost unnoticed when we begin to seek security in anything thus creating an interior division in ourselves. A problem of trying to "serve two master." I'm telling you, it is impossible to find peace with a divided heart. We cannot give ourselves to both. The part of us that trusts, but the part of that is relying on whatever . . . . , and worry begins to fill the gaps and eventually takes over our whole inner life. There is nothing wrong with other things, the point is that it makes a very poor substitute. Will you settle for a second best?
We cannot find solutions to our problems, personal or political, by relying on merely human means. The antidote to worry is prayer ---- not simply the words of prayer but the prayer of the heart, where we make the firm decision to accept the will of God in faith. We make faith decisions as we grow in TRUST, that we already knows all that we need. "Enough, then of worrying about tomorrow!" The Father will care for us tomorrow, just as he cares for us today.♥
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