“Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[b]? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” Luke 12.22-26
According to Quora.com, if you exclude the “duplication of Jesus’ speeches in the four gospels, the total number of words spoken by Jesus is 31,426.” In comparison, “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” written by C.S. Lewis in 1950 has just over 39,166 words. And again, in comparison, the average female speaks around 5,000 words per day, 35,000 words per week. Lol. (https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-25335,00.html). (Trying not to get in trouble here by my wife or daughter!)
Yet what we find in the Gospels are just the recorded words of Jesus, he obviously spoke much more among his disciples. My point is, Jesus’ words were limited and still he chose to speak about the topic of ”worry.”
Some might say, “Come on Jesus, there are other things more important. Those who worry just need to get over it.” But the human condition worries. Human beings have a tendency to worry about all kinds of things including, stability, safety, well-being, going hungry, caring for children, finding a mate, as well as the past, present and future. If something can be worried about, it typically will be. It’s a fact that humans tend to worry.
This is why Jesus spent a portion of his thirty-one thousand instructional teaching on worry. And in it, he essentially, says, “Don’t do it. It’s not worth it. God is in control,” (my interpretation). Jesus was addressing a basic human problem.
Now Jesus’ words remind his disciples not to worry about “your life….what you will eat…about your body…or what you will wear.” He pretty much sums up the whole of the worries of humanity in these categories. Then he goes on to explain why he doesn’t want us to worry. He says, “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.” Makes sense, doesn’t it?
At this point Jesus turns to nature to help him illustrate. I’m betting that he looked up at the sky as a bird flew over and said, “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” What a great word! How can we argue with that! He then says, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”
Jesus makes a point and a very good one. And for the most part, I bet 90% of us would believe that worry has no place in the Christian life. However, we still worry. We still fret. We still get our undergarments in a wad (forgive me mother!), or our blood pressure soaring out of control, all because of worry.
Yet at the root of worry is fear, doubt, mistrust and lack of faith. If we truly believed that God has us in his care, if we knew that everything would turn out alright, if we could just see into the future, we might not worry as much. We would substitute fear for faith and worry for worship.
Why not join me in believing in the words of Jesus? Worry-less and lean upon the one who holds your future in his hands.
“O Lord God, thank you for the words you spent on helping us worry-less. Thank you for the power of your Word and the truth of your Scripture. Come now, Holy Spirit, fill us with your strength and might that we might put our faith in you. I love you Lord and praise your eternal name. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen