Luke 12:25-26 “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”

The Bible speaks again and again and again about not worrying, yet we still worry! Anxiety probably drains more energy out of us than anything else, quite literally shortening our lives through hypertension, compromised immune systems, and any number of other things. Yet, as Jesus points out here, we even worry about that! Talk about a vicious cycle! The world and life have countless things for us to worry about, but that’s where faith comes in. It is in learning to release things to God in trust that we grow in faith, and in the process receive more and more of His grace and blessings. All of this is not to say that we are to be thoughtless and irresponsible; planning is an important part of stewardship. However, there’s a huge difference between planning and anxiety.

I would say that I’m probably less anxious than average, because of temperament, faith, and experience, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have my struggles with anxiety. Undesirable scenarios play through my mind just as they do everyone’s. I must not preach to others about trusting God and then fail to do so myself! As Jesus pointed out, the devil is out to steal, kill, and destroy, (John 10:10) and anxiety is his chief weapon for that in relation to our peace, joy, and over-all quality of life. I’ve got to submit to God and resist the devil! (James 4:7) The more God blesses me and this church, the more the devil says, “But what if…” I’ve got to recognize that and choose to trust God. As Jesus said, it delights my heavenly Father to give us His kingdom! (Luke 12:32) I get frustrated with others who are clearly bound by anxieties, but I have the same tendencies, and it is only by the grace of God that I’m not as bound as they are. I’m back to what the Lord told me over a year ago: rest, relax, rejoice! It is only in trusting God that I and my flock will enjoy the abundance He has planned and prepared for us.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s hardly as though I didn’t already know these things, but there can be such a gap between knowledge and application! Thank You for making it clear to me just now that I’m to speak on this Sunday. The irony that I was a little anxious about the message, when You have been so faithful to speak to and through me, is sharp. Help me be active in trusting obedience in every detail of my personal life and in every detail of this church. Help me be a faithful steward of my body, time, abilities and opportunities, but leave the results of that in Your hands. May I deliver Your Word this Sunday without hesitation or distortion, and may I receive it as well as communicate it, so that all of us may grow in trusting obedience, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!