Turning To Jesus When We Start Worrying About Worrying

I had the opportunity to preach the Word at the Selden Baptist Church this morning.  There were only ten of  us there, but we had a delightful time praising the Lord and drawing near to Him.  I preached a familiar message on worry.  I wasn't so sure if I really wanting to preach on worrying, but I felt the Lord was directing me in that direction.  The reason I wasn't really eager to preach on worrying is because every time I preach on worrying something seems to come up in my life to worry about.

Life is full of opportunities for us to worry.  If we ever want to find something to worry about all we have to do is turn on our television or our other devices and look at what is going on in our world these days.  There are a lot of frightening things going on all around us.  Sometimes we get so caught up in worrying that we start to worry that we are worrying too much and by that time we are in real trouble.

What do yo worry about?  What keeps you up at night?  I remember a few weeks ago something totally stressed me out at work that got me worrying.  I was told that I needed to be more productive and do things faster.  I work in the produce section of a grocery store.  I was told that if I didn't follow a certain list that I would be written up.  I have been there for nearly 17 years and them treating me like that really hurt badly.  Well, I couldn't sleep that night.  I twisted and turned all night worrying what was going to happen.  Would I get fired?  What would I do for work if I lose my job?  These thoughts consumed me.  I ended up only getting an hour and half of sleep that night.  When I got out of bed in the morning I opened up the "Our Daily Bread" devotional to that mornings writing and there I saw the title, "What Keeps You Up At Night?"  It was a devotion on worry.  I think I rolled my eyes and said, "Really?"

The Lord sometimes uses times like these to get our attention to teach us something that we need to learn.  I know I really need to learn not to worry and I really need to learn to trust the Lord more fully.  He is God and I am His servant.  He is my Maker and He is the Creator of all things.  I am just a sinful wretched man that is saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

The passage of Scripture I used in today's sermon was Matthew 6:25-34 which says,

"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 than food, and the body more 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 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers 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—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 have all worried about something at some point in our lives.  I was worrying before I gave the sermon.  I was starting to feel anxious and panicky as I drove my car to the church, but I made it and all went well.  Sometimes the things that we end up worrying about never come to fruition.  Sometimes our imaginations get the best of us and then we end up feeling foolish at the wasted time that we spent worrying.  I think our enemy, the devil, likes it when we are worried and anxious because it is during those moments when we are least effective for the Lord.

We need to take our eyes off of the things that cause us to worry and turn our eyes upon the Lord Jesus, the One who paid the ultimate price by dying on the Cross for our sins.  We have been redeemed through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

Jesus tells us to look at the birds of the air and the flowers in the fields.  The Lord takes great care of them and we can know that the Lord will take even greater care of us.  God will go with us through the deepest and darkest of trials.  We can trust Him.  When life gets difficult and something unforeseen happens we can know that the Lord will see us through if we are trusting in Him.

Worrying can never add anything to our lives.  It can actually take away from our lives though.  Worrying can make us sick and shorten our lifespan.  I am still learning not to worry about things and I must confess I am all the way there yet.  I am still learning everyday to trust the Lord more and I have to relearn that many times.  I haven't mastered that yet either.  Thankfully, the Lord hasn't given up on me and He won't give up on you either.  I would encourage you to trust the Lord Jesus each step of the way.  When you stumble and fail get right back up again and reset your eyes upon Jesus Christ.  Jesus will never fail You.  Jesus loves you.

Let's take our worries to the Lord and leave them there with Him and trust Him more.  God knows what He is doing.  He is in control.  We can trust Him.

Lord,
Help us handle our worries better by focusing upon You.
Forgive us for worrying so much.
Empower us through the Holy Spirit to keep our focus on who You are.
We praise Your Holy Name O Lord.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.