The Futility of Worry
It’s hard to avoid the news at the moment that the cost of living is going up. Even if you haven’t been reading news about inflation, interest rates and the impact of natural disasters in New Zealand, it’s obvious that groceries budgets aren’t stretching as far as they did last year. The temptation of worry is clearly a challenge.
Enter Jesus with his usual dose of turning things upside down…
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” (Luke 12:25).
Our lives are the biggest thing we know. They are the bubbles within which every moment and experience sits. Jesus’ logic is that if you lack the capability to change the length of your life, why worry about anything else within it.
Worry won’t earn you one more dollar. Worry won’t reduce house prices or take 0.01% off interest rates. Worry won’t stop your pants wearing out and it doesn’t put food on the table. So why worry?
It makes me wonder whether Jesus’ point is about control. We love to be in control. We love it when the solution is in our hands. We love to be self-sufficient. But this is never God’s agenda for us. It’s even been said that self-sufficiency is the greatest curse for a Christian because it leads us to a life without God.
Instead Jesus invites us to a simple trust. He reminds us that our heavenly Father knows what we need and as we seek Him, He is able to provide all that we need as well. What if this season of incredible financial challenge is actually a way for God to reveal to us all that He knows our needs and is able to provide out of nothing.
It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have budgets or shop smart. It just means that worry doesn’t need to characterise our lives. Instead today is a day to come again to the simple truth that God knows what we need and will never let us down.
Much love,
Simon
This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>