Do Not Worry

I think I grew up worrying; at least, it has taken me the better part of sixty years to begin to grasp the value of Jesus' instructions not to worry. In Matthew 6, he tells his followers four times: "Do not worry." Somehow I don't think I'm alone in having had difficulty taking this injunction on board.

In my experience, worrying seems to relate to the need to control. I know a lot of "control freaks", and have been guilty of the same. But this desperate need to control is an extremely destructive force and capable of ripping apart family relationships, church fellowships and becoming like a cancerous tumor in the spiritual lives of individuals. I really don't want to be characterized by that negative quality.

Although Jesus' words have always made sense, from an intellectual perspective, I think seeing the effects of worry on everyday relationships, has intensified my desire to let "tomorrow's worries" take care of themselves. Jesus tells us that we should not worry about our lives and the things that sustain life ("what you eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear.") He notes that "who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Actually, by worrying, we no doubt deduct a few hours, if not years, from our lives.

Why do I so easily allow myself to be trapped in the sticky mesh of anxiety when I could experience the freedom promised to those who "cast all your cares upon him for he cares for you"? A good Lenten sacrifice would be that of consciously giving up the spuriously attractive need to control that so often insinuates itself in my spirit. A positive Lenten action would be embracing the goodness of God and trusting in His sovereignty to care for me and those I love. How can I not trust "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ....In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." The hard daily discipline of casting myself on God's goodness and seeking His kingdom and good purposes is surely worth the effort!

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Downturn

The world markets were reeling yesterday, and everyone on European television this morning is talking about the fact that we didn't really have a complete view of the situation since the US markets were closed in honor of Martin Luther King's birthday. Commentators have been declaring that they expect the West (or the United States at least) could have a major depression like that of the 1930s. People are unsettled, and, no doubt, most of our lives will become unsettled as well. The prosperity to which we have become so accustomed seems poised to evaporate. (Why we as Christian believers get lulled into financial complacency is beyond me, since Jesus warned us that all material things are ephemeral. But we are all too easily acculturated!)

I'm starting a study of the Gospel of Matthew, a book I haven't examined in a while. It's kind of interesting to look at Matthew, who probably was the most financially secure of all the disciples Jesus called. Although looked down upon by the religious hierarchy and his Jewish compatriots, Matthew surely was economically secure. He obviously had enough funds to host a dinner party where he introduced some of his "riff-raff" friends to Jesus. (Matthew 9:9-10; Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-32)

Matthew impresses me in two ways particularly. He didn't hesitate to leave his job and follow Jesus. He didn't dither about, trying to figure out if he could afford to make this step of faith. He just left. We don't have the details on how he subsisted from this point, but he obviously had the faith that God would take care of those details. The other disciples similarly left all they had to follow. Jesus' call on their lives was such that they moved out in faith regardless of the economic consequences.

Matthew also impresses me by his immediate desire to introduce his friends to Jesus. Jesus had so impacted his life (even in these early stages of their relationship) that he didn't waste any time in holding a dinner party and inviting his friends to meet his new master--a far different master from the Roman government.

Future economic uncertainty did not cause Matthew to blanch in fear or spurn the call of Jesus on his life. As we know Matthew lived at least until 50 A.D. (when he possibly wrote his Gospel), we know that God provided for his needs and sustained him.

So in the face of possible terrorism, falling economies, stressed-out governments, I can have faith that God's call to me is to follow. He will work out the details of my sustenance and my future. My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. (Ps. 62:1)

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