The Questions Jesus Asked Part 10
This week in our Questions Jesus Asked series we are looking at a great question Jesus asks in Matthew 6:27, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to their life?”
Matthew 6:27 (NIV)
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to their life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
We are going to use a very familiar passage in Philippians Chapter 4 from the Message Paraphrase to look deeper at worry. Dealing with worry has a lot to do with our attitude.
Philippians 4:4-8 (MSG)
4 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! 5 Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! 6 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 7 Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. 8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.
From this passage there are some things that I think form the foundation for getting our attitudes in a place where we can effectively deal with worry.
Be Thankful
Philippians 4:4 (MSG)
4 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!
Learn to celebrate God in your life. Learn to thank God for all the things that you have. You need to focus on what you are thankful for instead of all the mess and problems going on in your life. When you aren’t celebrating God you will be celebrating all the problems.
Turn your Worries into Prayers
Philippians 4:6 (MSG)
6 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.
Worry is not helpful. It doesn’t do anything. You have been trained to worry since you were little. You need to allow Holy Spirit to show you how to move your worries into prayers. Pray is effective. Prayer changes things. Sometimes prayer changes circumstances but most often prayer changes me.
We will be adding to all of this on the weekend at Keys Vineyard Church. Make plans to join with us in-person or online.
Steve Lawes is a church encourager and the lead pastor of Keys Vineyard Church.
