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22 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? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? ~ Luke 12:22-26
My biggest sin is worry. There are explanations, like having my mom die when I was five and my father died when I was seventeen, but these explanations do not help with overcoming this condition cemented in fear.
In v.22 we read, "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."
The word translated “worry” in v.22 means “to be torn apart.” It provides the picture of a ship being tossed about in a storm. “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow,” said Corrie ten Boom, “it empties today of its strength.”
Worry is a sin that rises from a failure to understand the sovereign love of God. And, in order to understand the love of God, we must understand His promises and purposes. He does have our best interest at heart, we just lack the ability to recognize His wisdom.
In the previous verses, the Lord Jesus implored us to be rich toward God. Meaning, give God control of all of our lives. When we are rich toward God we will be dependent upon Him because we have given all we have to Him. When we have done this, we have come to the realization that all we have belongs to Him.
In v.23 we read, "For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes." We exist for a higher purpose than just eating and clothing ourselves. Life is more than food and we have bodies for more reasons than just clothing. We're not the final product of evolution, and our bodies are not designed to be something that's just supposed to be clothed for its environmental protection. We have a divine priority and purpose.
God has saved us to give us eternal life, now. With this life comes purpose, meaning, a plan, and a destiny. There is no need to horde so that we can survive into the future. We are being sustained by the One whose purposes for our lives will come to fruition. And, His greatest purpose today in all of our lives is to reveal Himself to us. This is the point of the impossible things He allows in our lives. And, the greater the impossibility, the greater the revelation of Himself to us.
God's plan for our lives is that we might thrive, and the only way to thrive is with Him at the helm of our lives. And when we understand this priority of having Him direct our ship, we will truly live and exist for His purposes, and He will sustain our lives until those purposes are fulfilled. Thus, we don't have to worry about it.
In v.24 we read, "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." Birds are the most fragile beings. Yet, they are a great illustration of God's provision. Now, if God feeds birds, don't you think He's going to take care of making sure our needs are met? This is an analogy from the lesser to the greater. Israel, to this day, is the largest area of bird migration on the planet. That little land is the most fertile soil in the world. And it's always been a dense place for bird migration. And, the Lord Jesus points out they don't sow or reap. They are totally dependent on God who provides for them daily.
We do not need to spend our lives worrying about whether we're going to have enough. Our God promises to sustain us to the end of His purposes in and throughout our lives. Life is from God. He gives it. He sustains it. He makes provision for it.
In v.25-26 we read, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? How can we be effective witnesses to a lost world and encourage them to put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ if we ourselves are doubting God and worrying? It is not inconsistent to preach faith and yet not practice it.
Worry has more questions than answers, more work than energy, and thinks often about giving up. Worry has no positive side effects. It subtracts moments from our lives in heart stress and rising blood pressure. We must look at our lives from heaven’s point of view and make sure that we put God’s kingdom first in everything. If our hearts are fixed on the transient things of this earth, we will always struggle with worry. But if we are fixed on the eternal, then God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds.
When we aren’t focused on our problem, we have a sudden availability of brain space. Worry divides the mind. It splits our energy between today’s priorities and tomorrow’s problems. The result is half-minded living! God made us for more than a life of angst and mind-splitting worry. Today and everyday, He has a new chapter for each of us. And, today, He is ready to write ours! But, we will not realize this adventure unless we allow Him to write our story. So, why not get out our pen and place it in His hand, and let Him write out our adventure, today?
