Worry Works?

Soo…. Worry Works..?

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matt 6:27 (NIV)

During the recent blast of winter’s snowy, showy grandeur,  voices from TV, radio, and print carefully guided our attention to the places and times of the greatest impact of these events.  Each time, the media experts and announcers with maps and charts and graphs and computerized images, instructed us when to worry and what to worry about.  One actually said “but tomorrow you will need to worry about ice and falling tree limbs.”  Worrying, it seems, was a very important part of our preparation for the storms 

 “If worry works as protection against these dangers,” I thought to myself one evening, “just think how effective panic would be.”  Our advisors seem to know how foolish it would be to advise the listeners to panic, but they have no problem telling us to worry. 

The whole thing reminds me of Jesus’ disciples waking him up to worry about the storm approaching their boat.  They had gone past worry into full-blown panic. Jesus was surprised that they had learned so little from him. There are more than one hundred places in scripture where we are instructed not to fear or worry.

We really must be careful about whose instructions we practice.  A young friend recently had a major medical crisis, the direct result of worrying.  Those of us who prayed for his recovery could not help noting that the things he was distressed about never came to past. 

It is helpful to be informed about impending problems so that we can pray and prepare.  Worry is not required.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus   Phil 4:6-7(NLT)