‘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?
Matthew 6:25 NIVUK
Bobby McFerrin’s 1988 unexpected smash hit ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ is probably the most famous a cappella song in the world, with its ridiculously catchy reggae-inspired rhythm.
I doubt somehow if someone who was in a difficult situation would appreciate you singing it to them. If you ever actually gave this advice to such a person, they would likely slap you.
However, in the midst of what seems to be poor advice to resolve problems, the lyrics of the song contain this advice:
'In your life expect some trouble
But when you worry, you make it double'
There is a ring of truth about that simplistic couplet.
Jesus is against worry. You could even say that these verses are His ‘war on worry’.
Why is Hs dead against it?
The word ‘worry’ here can also be translated as ‘anxious’. Anxiety is not ever a positive emotion. It causes us to catastrophise. It dulls our thinking. The echo chamber of an anxious mind will never return the answer to get us out of our problems.
More than that, worry and anxiety are actually an expression of lack of faith and trust in God, which is why every command not to worry or be anxious is juxtaposed with a command to trust, for example:
Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.’
Deuteronomy 1:29-31 NIVUK
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’
Joshua 1:9 NIVUK
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27 NIVUK
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 NIVUK
If we are told not to worry, be anxious or be afraid, then it must be a choice. We must have the ability to change our focus away from worry and on to something else. And that’s what Jesus says here.
He starts by providing an example of birds.
Eugene Peterson’s The Message describes them as ‘free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God’.
Jesus states this later on in Matthew:
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Matthew 10:29-31 NIVUK
Birds were among the lowest valued of all the sacrifices made to God – the worship of the poor (Leviticus 5:7). They were plentiful in supply and cheap (if you’ll pardon the pun).
Yet Jesus notes that even the birds are looked after by God: even the cheap, low-valued birds.
And then Jesus talks about the flowers.
If birds were cheap, the emphasis as Jesus talks about flowers is their temporary nature. If you’ve ever bought a bouquet for someone, you’ll know exactly what I mean. They never seem to last long, especially if they are already in bloom.
Yet Jesus’ point is that God clothes them far more spectacularly than even Solomon, the richest of all the Israelite kings, dressed himself.
So if Jesus cares for the low value birds and the temporary flowers then, Jesus states, He will also care for us, since we are of much greater value than them.
Jesus third picture is of something more permanent and enduring: the Kingdom.
He states that the people outside the Kingdom of Heaven rush around like headless chickens to worry about their food (unlike birds) and their clothes (unlike flowers).
Why?
Because when this life is all you have, your all-encompassing desire will be to have, to grasp, to be.
But there is a huge irony in that.
By way of explanation, have you ever taken a toddler to the beach for the first time?
They are usually entranced by the sand and the sea. I’ve watched them as they grasp the sand in their hands, and watch in mild frustration as its grains slip beneath their fingers. Or they try to grasp a handful of water, and wach as it trickles out of their hands.
This is a picture of life.
So many people are absolutely desperate to succeed in life. So desperate are they that they grasp and clutch onto anything – clothes, food, status, health, passing fads and fashions – to try to elevate themselves above other people.
But the more they grasp, the less they hold.
Clothes are out of fashion more than they are in.
Food is quickly digested.
Status is ephemeral. As soon as you get it, someone else moves past you.
Health will go whether you like it or not. Dietary and exercise fads only delay the inevitable.
Fads and fashions expire.
Everything – absolutely everything – those outside the Kingdom base their lived on will crumble and fall.
That is a fact.
So Jesus gives us another way.
Seek His Kingdom first. Seek to give Him His right to rule first. Seek to follow Him first.
Because when you do that, He takes care of the rest.
As part of the Kingdom rule, He tells us not to worry about tomorrow, but to concentrate on serving Him in the troubles of today.
Bobby McFerrin likely made a whole lot of money of his gentle little hit. But in reality, simply smiling away your troubles won’t work.
But entrusting them to Jesus? Handing them over to Him? Seeking to put Him first and not building your life on things that are here today and gone tomorrow?
That will always work.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I worry about so many things. I know I shouldn’t. Help me to leave with you the heavy burden of my worries and take on the light yoke of Your Kingdom instead. Help me to trust in You always. Amen.
Questions
1. What are the three pictures that Jesus used to teach us about worry? What do these pictures teach us?
2. Why is worry not a good thing?
3. Do you think the advice to take one day at a time will help you? How?
Comments