W.O.R.R.Y.

Oh, how the mighty do fall. Last week I had my arms raised in victory as I shouted for all to hear that God’s word will never fail. He spoke and it shall be! I was ready to take on the world, and then Monday came. Monday, the day we buried my friend and as I threw rose petals on her coffin, I couldn’t help but be a little jealous because her race was done. Never again will my sweet friend have to face “death, or mourning or crying or pain.” (Revelation 21:4)

I have to admit that I had the same exact feeling when my brother died. Part of me was a little envious that Bill got there first, and now Rene is there with him. They both fought the good fight, they finished the race, and they kept the faith until the end (2 Timothy 4:7). But my race is not yet done, and yours isn’t either if you are reading this, so how do we keep running when Satan keeps throwing snare, after snare, after snare to trip us?

Now don’t worry about me. While I’m a little jealous, I’m not suicidal. Unless God suddenly calls me home, my feet are firmly planted in the here and now. Yet when Satan saw me at the grave that day, he spied a chink in my armor. In his glee, he must have run to God asking if he could use me as a punching bag because that was the week I had.

Thanks be to God, I survived; however, metaphorically speaking, I am black and blue after the punches I took. It was a tough week, but you may be wondering at this moment what my chink was.

Simple…. W.O.R.R.Y.

The very thing Jesus told us not to do!

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:31-34)

If you have grown up around church, this is such a familiar passage to you: Do not worry about tomorrow because today has enough trouble of its own. I happened though to run across the old King James translation of the verse, and it put it this way, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow.”

Here was Jesus telling a group of people, who were under Roman rule and oppression, not to waste a thought on tomorrow. People, who would more than likely go to bed hungry that night, were not supposed to worry about what they were going to eat or drink. These words had to be a little hard for them to digest as their stomachs were growling, but Jesus wanted them to think about it. Would worry give them any control over the future?

No!

Would worry add a single hour to their life (Matthew 6:27)?

No!

And the same is true for us. When we spend our days worrying about what’s going to happen next, it literally sucks all the joy out of us, and this is what Satan saw in me. You see, I am living with a worried fear that is squeezing the joy out of my days, and I’ve never been a worrier either. That’s my husband’s job, but since his last seizure, I have joined the ranks of “worriers.”  In addition to Kenny’s seizures, I now find myself worrying over things I have absolutely no control over.

Sadly, it’s an easy habit to fall into. It’s as though you have blinders on which keeps you from seeing the futility of your worry. I’m also finding that it not only robs you of joy, but your effectiveness too. Think about it; if you are stressed out with worry, how effective are you at handling the things you need to do each day? I don’t know about you but worry shuts me down. I get nothing done, which means, more than likely, I’m not going to be effective tomorrow either.

It’s a vicious cycle, and in his commentary on the New Testament, Warren Wiersbe wrote, “the average person is crucifying himself between two thieves: the regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow. It is right to plan for the future…. But it is a sin to worry about the future and permit tomorrow to rob today of its blessings.”

Guilty as charged, so how can I worry less?

I think Freaky Friday has actually happened at my house because my husband is the one who gave me the answer to my question. The former worrier told me to stop sweating the small stuff. Yes, my husband, who has backup plans for his backup plans, told me to stop worrying about the little things, and friends, he is right. Satan has been using minor things to trip me up. He wants me running in circles trying to keep all my plates spinning, as if the world depended on me alone, instead of trusting that God is going to do what he says he will do.

If you struggle with worry as well, we both need to start believing that God will meet our needs. We need to remember that he is our Father; in fact, he is an exceedingly loving Father, who gives good gifts to His children. As Jesus said:

“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:9–11).

God isn’t going to trick us by giving us a stone instead of bread. Nor will He mock our prayers by presenting us with something harmful, like a snake. He truly cares for us. In fact, he cares so much he sent his Son to redeem us, and if God cares this much for us, there is no reason to doubt.

Jesus didn’t go to the cross so that we could continue to live in fear and worry. He came to set us free! Therefore, we need to “throw off everything that hinders…fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1,2). We also must take captive every thought that Satan is using to tempt us to worry and put it to death (2 Corinthians 10:5). And we can do this through the power of the Holy Spirit!

I am more battered and bruised than I was last week, but my arms are once again raised in praise to our Father. Lord, forgive me for worrying and give me the strength to keep running my race.

For the glory of God! Lisa

Discussion Questions

What causes you to worry?

When you pray, do you believe that God is going to provide or do you sometimes doubt? In other words, you expect a snake instead of a fish.

How easy is it to “take captive every thought”? What are ways you can begin to do this daily?