There is so much going on around us – and in our own lives – that causes us to worry.
He 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. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!”
2000 years ago, Jesus told his disciples not to worry about their lives. How much we need to hear these same words today! There is so much going on around us – and in our own lives – that causes us to worry. It’s almost as if we have a pandemic of anxiety. So we need to learn from Jesus how to replace worry with confidence in God’s love and provision.
We need this verse today.”
I’m sure you understand if, like me, you’re finding much to worry about these days. We live in times permeated by anxiety, often with hearts filled with anxiety. I probably don’t need to mention reasons why we feel anxious, but I’ll note a few that come quickly to mind: the doggedness of the COVID pandemic, now driven by the delta variant; devastation and danger from natural catastrophes, including raging fires and overwhelming floods; the threat to world harmony from many quarters, most recently Afghanistan; hostile division and unbridled anger permeating both our country and the world; persistent global injustice that threatens all people, especially the vulnerable and the oppressed.
In addition to these widespread worries, many of us feel anxious about things closer to home. Parents fret about how best to care for their children when the disease might lurk in schools, daycare facilities, and friendship groups. Some of us are dealing with scary diagnoses and fear-inducing illnesses besides COVID-19. The pandemic has added considerable tension to many relationships, at work and home, in churches and neighborhoods. We worry about our financial well-being in a time of economic uncertainty.
I realize that I’m starting out on a pretty low note, you might have been thinking, “This is the last thing I need from Phil today.” Believe me, I’m not wanting to bum you out. But, as I talk with folks from so many different contexts, and as I pay attention to what’s going on around us, I think we need to acknowledge the anxiety that most of us are feeling. And, let me add if you’re not worrying much these days, good for you! After all, Jesus did not say in today’s passage, “Make sure you worry a lot!” Rather, he said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life . . .” (12:22).
It’s worth noting that folks in the time of Jesus had plenty to worry about, which is, no doubt, why Jesus was helping them not to worry. Many people in the time of Jesus were relatively poor and were just a dry season away from losing whatever they had, with no social safety net available. Medicine was primitive and people suffered painfully and died from all sorts of diseases. Life expectancy in the time of Jesus is estimated to have been around 35 years. Many who were born never made it to adulthood. Plus, the Jews in Galilee and Judea lived under the iron fist of Rome, facing heavy taxation and the inevitability of unjust local leadership. So it seems to me that the people Jesus told not to worry actually had much more to worry about than we do.
If you’re at all inclined to feel anxious these days, I expect Jesus will speak right to your heart. And if you’re fairly free from anxiety, then the upcoming devotions will encourage you and strengthen your good habits.
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