“Calling all worrywarts”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Thursday, May 2, 2024

Matthew 6:25-34 (Forward, p. 4) (CEV p. 989)

I think that this passage about worry, and the senselessness of worry is probably quite appropriate to pretty well all of us. It is bad enough that there is uncertainty in our own individual, personal lives, but the continued unrest and instability further afield makes it all the worse. Whether it is local, provincial, national, or international, the world seems to be in a constant state of turmoil.

To this natural inclination to worry, Jesus offers several antidotes:

First, He reminds his hearers—and us—of God’s provision of the

needs of various parts of creation, namely the birds of the air and

the flowers of the field. The birds don’t have to worry or fret over

their daily provision of food and neither do the wildflowers have

to be concerned about their ‘raiment’. God provides for both of

them.

“Aren’t you worth more than the birds?”, Jesus asks (v. 26c)

And, in terms of the flowers, He says about His Father, “He will

surely do even more for you” (verse 30b).

And so, Jesus reminds them of their worth, their value to God, and

reminds them that God, by His very nature, is the ‘business’ of

providing for His creatures.

He tells them that to worry is tantamount to doubting God’s ability

and God’s love for us. After all, He says, God does know our needs

and does care.

He then suggests that we should simply readjust our priorities, our

concerns for life. We should simply seek God’s kingdom and priorities above all else and leave all the rest to Him. We can be

confident that God can, and will, handle ‘all the rest’.

Here I think that the advice of Corrie ten Boon’s father was so wise and so appropriate: give it all over to the hand of God, because after all, He knows the future, and He alone, can handle all of it—so, why bother trying to do it yourself?

Forward notes: “And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?” (verse 27)

“I am, by nature, an anxious person, and I have been since my youth. I worry a lot, but in my defense, there is a lot to worry about. I worry about whether I—and other people like me—are doing enough. I worry about racism, climate change, gun violence, and the future of the institutional church. True to the Sermon on the Mount, all of that worrying has not added a single hour to my lifespan, but it probably has taken some off!

“Jesus acknowledges that there are definitely valid concerns to worry about, like where our next meal might come from or how we might protect our bodies from the elements. When our earthly anxieties take over and subsume our spiritual life, that’s when we are in trouble. Let us first pay attention to the state of our souls and our relationship with God, and we will find that our other worries and anxieties take care of themselves in due time.”

MOVING FORWARD: “Each time you begin to worry this week, say the Lord’s Prayer or read a passage from scripture.”