When or how many times have you worried about something that turned out to be no big deal? I’m reminded of what one person said. “Don’t tell me the worry doesn’t do any good. Almost everything I worry about never happens.”
There's a new word that we are hearing more and more these days especially in the medical news. That word is catastrophizing. They define that as when a person fixates on the worst possible outcome and treats it like it is happening or already has happened even when it hasn't and won't. We have a more simple word that we use when trouble comes in. We use the word worry. It is so easy to get caught up in worry. Today, I want to talk about having a confident faith because a confident faith will kill worry. A confident faith quiets our minds as the Lord whispers to our souls, “fear not.”
Prayer.
In Luke 12, Jesus taught about overcoming worry and anxiety. The people that came to hear Jesus teach had very few resources. The Romans had conquered Israel and the inhabitants were faced with heavy taxes and poverty. There weren't many options to improve their lives. Finding enough food was one of the biggest issues for them. It was constant political and social upheaval because of the Roman occupation. The people of Israel had real reasons to worry about their current situation and their future. So, Jesus spoke to them with words that created a new way of looking at the world as He taught His followers to trust God with their worries.
Luke 12:22-26 – “Then he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than the birds? 25 Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? 26 If then you’re not able to do even a little thing, why worry about the rest?
Can you see that Jesus is teaching us about the nature of worry? He's telling us that worrying about the future is not going to change our present reality. Jesus invites us to think about God's role as a provider for our needs. He encourages us to consider how the ravens survive. Even though birds can't contribute to their future, God takes care of them. Jesus is warning us about wasting our strength on things that will more than likely never happen, rather than living in the fear of worry.
Jesus wants us to trust Him with our burdens and not worry about them. In the verses just before this passage that we read, Jesus told the parable about the rich man who died before he could enjoy his wealth. The rich man was very successful but was relying on his own ability to provide for his future. So, he built bigger barns and store houses so that he wouldn't have to worry about being taken care of in the future. Jesus told the man that that very night he was going to die and that he'd be unable to enjoy the riches that he had accumulated.
That, in itself, is a form of idolatry. Idolatry can take many forms. Idol worship isn't confined to just praying to false gods that are made of stone and wood. An idol is anything we believe will fulfill us more than God. It's anything or anyone who competes with God for our hearts’ affections. Many times, an idol is something good that is lifted up to quench our desire. This puts God in second place.
In our culture today, a popular idol is control. People want to be in control of their future. It's not wrong to want a good life, but a life that's free from suffering is not going to ultimately satisfy the human heart. Jesus wants us to rely upon Him and His control of our lives. Difficulties will come in our life but there's no need to worry. Just like diamonds are created through pressure over time, Christians are perfected into Christ's image when we endure suffering.
And then the byproduct of wanting to be in control is worry. When people lose control, they worry about the future. Instead of letting go of what they can't control, they often try even harder to control people and situations around them. As a result, relationships are strained and anxiety creeps in. In contrast to all of this, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy look burden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus wants us to trust Him with our burdens. We were made for so much more than worry.
When Jesus was teaching about anxiety, He called us His sheep. He referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep. The promise of God shepherding His people is found throughout the Scripture. David was a Shepherd before he became a king. He wrote the 23rd Psalm which says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” The 23rd Psalm portrays God as the shepherd who provides for His sheep. We get the picture of how God cares about us.
Jesus came to rescue us from our sins and our bad decisions. And He's the one who will provide for us. God promises He will provide for His people. But still we worry, don't we?
If we have a confident faith, then we know that we can be strong and courageous because the Lord is with us. When Joshua was chosen by God to take Moses's place, God spoke to Joshua and said:
Joshua 1: 9 – “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
The people of Israel had been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Now they arrived at the edge of the Promised Land and they are too afraid to follow God. You would think they would have a more confident faith after seeing God fight for them during the 10 plagues in Egypt. Because they didn't trust God, He kept them in the wilderness to learn to become His people. They went into the wilderness as slaves but emerged as His sons and daughters.
Don't you know that Joshua was feeling some anxiety as God chose him to do what Moses couldn't - bring the people into the Promised Land. God tells Joshua to be courageous and strong. For us, the key to being strong and courageous isn't being mentally tough. It's being connected to Jesus. As God was telling Joshua this, look what he said in verse 7:
Joshua 1: 7 – “Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go.”
God is telling Joshua to walk boldly into the future because of what He has revealed in the past. Because God had provided the foundation for confidence in the past, Joshua could trust God because God is trustworthy.
The same thing is true for us. God wants us to trust Him with the things we worry about. We can worry unnecessarily because we forget God's faithfulness. He's inviting us to be strong and courageous because He'll be with us wherever we go.
I read something a while back that really made me think. It was about not worrying. It basically said that we are wasting our time and energy when we worry about the little things we're involved in today. It went on to say that 100 years from now none of us will be here. In fact, a hundred years from now most people will not even remember us for who we were. As we think about that, can you see why there's really no need for us to worry today. What we worry about today will likely be forgotten completely in the future.
But still there's the issue of suffering. None of us want to suffer. We tend to worry about things that will keep us from suffering. But it's good for us to know that God works for our good, even in the midst of our suffering.
I think of the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis. Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. He was placed in prison based upon a lie from Potiphar's wife. He experienced a lot of suffering and trials. Joseph could have been consumed with worry because of his constant misfortune. But Joseph had an unusual perspective which he shared with his brothers as he finally met them again at the end of the story. He said that God planned it all for good so that Joseph would be in a position of leadership to provide for the survival of many people. Joseph understood that God was with him and was working on his behalf, even when Joseph was suffering.
One of the best skills a person can have is to understand their story within God's story. The psychologists use a concept called prospective psychology. And this concept proposes that people create their future through their imagination and how thinking about the future shapes their present and their future behavior.
But that concept doesn't go far enough for believers. Just imagining a different future outcome falls short, but trusting in God will always land us safely in His arms and His provision. When we imagine worst case scenarios, that's when we often feel anxious. But when we trust God and that He will walk with us through what comes our way, that's when we are exercising a confident faith.
So, what about you? Are some of your dreams dying? Are you afraid of things that may bring suffering? Do you worry about your future? God says He will be with us, and He will use us for His purposes. God is actually sending us into the future.
Luke 12: 27-30 – “Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 28 If that’s how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will he do for you—you of little faith? 29 Don’t strive for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don’t be anxious. 30 For the Gentile world eagerly seeks all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.”
Jesus is comparing how we should live as compared to the unbelieving world. The unbelieving world strives for physical provision. Materialism today seems to be the driving force in the unbeliever's mind.
In comparison, followers of Jesus are supposed to trust God to provide for them. Jesus described God as a loving Father who knows the needs of His children. He gives us the example of wildflowers to describe God's provision. If God clothes nature so beautifully, how much more so will He provide for us?
Luke 12:31-34 – “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be provided for you. 32 Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make money-bags for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
So Jesus provides us an alternative future so that we won't have to worry. Instead of being focused on our earthly future, He calls us to focus on the kingdom of God. His kingdom isn't an earthly Kingdom. Jesus told his followers to seek God's kingdom first and all of our other needs would be met. Instead of fixing our attention on becoming wealthy and self-sufficient, Jesus wants us to trust God with our future. What is it that causes you to worry the most?
Jesus is inviting us today to trust God with our worries. I agree that many things in our culture today can create anxiety in our lives. And choosing to not worry may seem kind of unrealistic or simplistic. Simply trusting God may seem like an irresponsible thing when we're in a difficult financial or interpersonal situation.
Noted author Edwin Friedman looks closely at the systems of anxiety that are found in families, companies, and countries. His primary premise is that personal maturity occurs when a person takes responsibility for his or her actions.
Most all of us operate within at least one hostile environment. That environment may be an unhealthy marriage, a dysfunctional family, or a toxic workplace. So, anxiety occurs when we blame everyone and everything for what's going wrong.
According to Friedman, in environments like these, we can't be promised that there will never be any anxiety. But mature people resist that desire to control their environment and focus on their response to pressure. Someone once stated that the most important thing is not the situation that causes us to worry. What is most important is how we respond to that situation.
So Jesus invites us to stop attempting to control our lives and trust him instead.
Philippians 4:6-7 – “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Do you see it now? We find peace when we give our worries to God. Our maturity in Christ is directly correlated to our trust in His goodness. What worries do you need to trust God with? Maybe you simply need to spend some time in prayer today, and place those concerns in God's hands. And then have the confident faith that God will handle it from there on.
I close with a statement from Christian history that was made by Martin Luther. “I have a better Caretaker than you and all the angels. He it is who lies in a manger… But at the same time sits at the right hand of God, the Almighty Father. Therefore be at rest.
Let's turn our worries over to God by coming to Him. We offer the invitation for you to come to know Christ in a personal way. Won't you come as we pray?
