What! Me Worry? Never!

"Today's Devotion" For March 25, 2006

Read: Luke 12:22-31; Psalm 37

WHAT! ME WORRY? NEVER!

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34)

Have you ever been in the situation where you were truly worried, on a regular basis, as to whether you were going to be able to put food on the table, pay the rent (or the mortgage), and cover the monthly bills? For many people it's a way of life. They live from paycheck to paycheck, never certain they're going to have enough financial resources to take care of their expenses without falling further into debt. An old expression, "I've got more month than money" is a very real part of life for many people in our world - even, and perhaps more sadly, in our own country. Now, it's certainly true that many of those folks could stand some lessons in better money management and better wisdom as to how they spend their money (I know a young mother who buys cigarettes but doesn't have enough food in the house for her children or money for gas for her car in order to get to work). Nevertheless, the element of worry is an ever present commodity in their lives.

While the paycheck to paycheck experience is a prominent feature of life in communities across the nation, that luxury isn't available for tens of millions of people around the world. Even the poorest of the poor in the United States would be considered quite wealthy in many developing countries. In those places, anxiety and worry about food, clothing, shelter, safety, and the basic necessities of life are very real, daily concerns. Children are going to bed hungry on a regular basis, their bodies emaciated, shriveling shells. On top of all this, they don't even have schools where they can learn the necessary skills and gain the knowledge they need to prepare them to provide for themselves. Many of those living in such conditions have given up hope for anything better and have resigned themselves to their "fate."

Worry isn't something that's restricted to the poor and downtrodden, however. Many people who are well off spend enormous amounts of money and time visiting psychiatrists and psychologists because they're riddled with all sorts of anxieties. On one side of the equation are those who don't have anything worrying about how they're going to eat today, while on the other side of the equation are those who have a lot and still are worried, often about keeping what they've got or having no idea what to do with what they have. Money doesn't bring contentment, even though there's a perception that if "we only had more things would be just fine."

Even though our Lord Jesus reminds us of God's promises to provide for our every need, the nature of Sin in our lives is such that we often don't real trust Him. Worry and anxiety about the necessities of life still cloud our lives. Unfortunately for many people of means, their lives are also filled with worry and anxiety - the color of their carpets, the make and year of their automobiles, the size of their homes, their club memberships, and their children's education (just to name a few). Even for those who have plenty, keeping sight of what's important and essential for life is still difficult because our sin leads us to always want more. Frequently people lose sight of what's most vital and necessary to living and what's not.

Lest we point our fingers at others, especially the "well to do," it should also be said that even we who believe and trust in God's promises in Christ are not immune to losing our focus on what's necessary for life and living and what's not. No matter how much we confess our faith and trust in the Lord's promises to provide us with all that we need "to sustain this body and life," we still worry and are anxious about our lives, even when we have all that we need. The truth is that we too often also lose sight of what is most vital for life - our relationship with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We get so caught up in believing that the "abundant life" Jesus promises us (John 10:10), means having lots of things, lots of money, and lots of prestige, that we end up turning our hearts and eyes away from Jesus. In the end we open ourselves up to temptation and the sin of worry. Seeking first "His kingdom" and believing that all "these things will be given to (us) as well" (Luke 12:31), according to Jesus' promise, gets lost in our anxieties and worry.

I've always loved the expression, "What? Me worry?" It's often used by characters in movies and plays who are blustering their way through a great deal of worry and anxiety. Usually this expression is used in a comedic sense, but it's not really very funny in real life because it tends to hide the very real worry underlying the expression. By God's grace in Jesus, however, we can turn "What? Me Worry?" into "What! Me worry? Never!" Trusting in God's promises to provide us with every necessity of life, including the forgiveness of sins and the hope and promise of eternal life in Jesus, we "do not worry about tomorrow" (Matthew 6:34). After all, we are, as Jesus said, more valuable to our Father in heaven than the birds (Lk. 12:25) or the lilies of the field (Lk. 12:27). The suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus proves that. Jesus' willingness, in love, to do such an incomprehensible act, is what moves us to proclaim with our lives and voices, "What! Me worry? Never!"

Prayer: Father, it's really very easy for me to worry about money and other things so that I forget that You give me everything I need. That's Your promise to me. Help me to faithfully hold on to that promise and trust that You will provide every one of my needs. My greatest need is for forgiveness of my sins and salvation. You have faithfully and lovingly given me that huge gift. Help me to trust You for the little things as well and let my life be a living witness and testimony to Your love and blessings so that others might come to trust You through me. Hear me, gracious Father, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2006 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.