Looking Past Worry

Scripture:

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life…for your Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:25; 32-33.

Observation:

My Bible labels this paragraph "the cure for anxiety". I have read it many times, but I always seem to read it separate from the first part of chapter 6. Tonight, as I read it, I connected it with the first part of the chapter and I am seeing things a little differently.

Application:

I have quoted this verse. I have written it on notes and stuck them around my house, car and office. I have claimed these verses in prayer. Yet, I still worried about what was happening in my life. Why is that? What is it about letting go that is so hard?

There is nothing worse than worry other than to read a verse like this and end up being worried about being worried. Tonight, I feel like God is saying something more to me. I feel like He is pointing me in a little different direction. It is more than just sitting back and doing nothing. Worry is not normally the problem, it is a symptom. I think I often work on not worrying and in doing so I miss the real issue. This is the equivalent of taking Tylenol for a broken arm but not going to the doctor.

In verses 1-24 Jesus unpacks 6 things for me to consider that could possibly be causing my anxiety. First, he tells me to check my motives. People watch everything that I do. It is so easy to become aware of this. As that happens, my life becomes nothing more than a show. I must strive to seek God with little regard for who notices. If my motives are fake, the best my relationship with God can be is fake. Second, I need to check my generosity. It is amazing what happens in my life when I try to hoard things. It is impossible to have a pure walk with God that does not result in a life of giving. The pressures of life lead me to think I should store up for myself, but the God of this life tells me to take care of those in need. Third, I need to check my prayer life. Prayer is my connection with God. It is my means of communicating with Him. If I try to use it to manipulate God or others it is rendered useless and I lose my connection with God. Without that connection, my soul dries up. Fourth, I need to check for un-forgiveness. I can't receive God's forgiveness while I am harboring things towards others. It just does not work that way. Bitterness will continue to rot away at me on the inside until it ultimately brings me down. Fifth, I need to fast. This is not one of my favorite things to do, but there are some really good things that result from fasting. It reveals to me just how fragile I am. I teaches me that I can control my body. And while fasting, my stomach constantly reminds me that I need to pray. Finally, he tells me to check my goals. This is not my home. Earth is only temporary and everything that is here will pass away. I have a habit of only thinking of heaven when I think of death. I don’t like to think of death, so that makes it difficult to think of heaven. But heaven is not something that becomes real only in death. It is real now. Everything I do on earth has an impact on what takes place in heaven. That is the ultimate prize. It should be all that I think about.

Prayer:

I must make a confession tonight. Actually, there are a couple of things that I need to confess. First, I do not trust You. I say that I do. I think that I do. But I feel a deep conviction inside of me that I am afraid to abandon all my concern for my well being and for the well being of my family. That is nothing more than distrust from me towards You and I want to be clean of that. There is none more worthy of my trust than You. There is no one more dependable. The second thing that I must confess to you is that I am self centered. I live in constant fear that I am going to mess things up. I fear that I will never live a life worthy of Your blessing. This is conceit on my part in that deep down I want to be good enough. I want to earn what You are trying to give me. It is the ultimate of self-centeredness.

I need to walk in a direction tonight that I can't do on my own. I need to let go of everything in my life and just focus on pursuing Your righteousness. I can’t get to where You are leading me to go on my own. I have to have Your strength and guidance. Search my heart tonight and lead me in a life that is free from anxiety. I desire nothing more than to be in a place where, like David, I can say "As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I wake."