Do Not Worry
Matthew 6:25-34

Feast of Thanksgiving, 2003

By 1920 the Gilbreths had twelve children. Dad Gilbreth loved his new car, and he loved to take the family for rides. But he was a poor driver. In a book, the children recall how badly he drove: "We had seen Dad nick fenders, slaughter chickens, square away with traffic policemen, and knock down full-grown trees." How did Mrs. Gilbreth handle his driving? The children explain, "He terrified all of us, but particularly Mother. She sat next to him on the front seat ­ with two of the babies on her lap ­ and alternated between clutching Dad's arm and closing her eyes in supplication. Whenever we rounded a corner, she would try to make a shield out of her body to protect the babies from what she felt sure would be mutilation or death."

It will be interesting to see how the soon to be released Cheaper By the Dozen portrays Dad's motoring habits. Driving with a maniac like Dad Gilbreth is legitimate grounds for worry. Yet, most of the things we worry about are a waste of time and energy. That is what Jesus tells us in our Gospel reading for Thanksgiving.

The theme of this passage from the Sermon on the Mount is summed up in the words, "Do not worry." That is a general rule for living life in the Kingdom of God. "Do not worry." It is an important and practical rule because worry is a serious and common problem. People know that worry can sap their energy, cripple their efficiency, frazzle their nerves, deteriorate their health, and even shorten their lives; nonetheless, they indulge in it all the same. Housewives are prone to worry about feeding and clothing the kids; husbands have their anxieties too. They lie awake at night thinking about their work. Preachers worry about their next sermon. Students worry about their upcoming exams and papers, or they worry about what they are going to wear to the prom, and how their hair is going to look the next day. Entrepreneurs worry about payroll and turning a profit; athletes worry about winning the next contest; and nearly everybody worries about money: paying bills, getting raises, and earning an adequate salary.

Jerry Tarkanian, the former basketball coach for several universities, would sit on the bench biting and sucking a towel. It looked ridiculous, but it was the only way he could stay calm during a basketball game. Jesus tells us specifically what we are not to worry about: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on." He is dealing with our existence in this body. The prohibition against worrying takes in the whole of life: our health, our strength, our success, and whatever is going to happen to us. Who among us is free of worry and care? Very few. Many believers are so accustomed to worry that it is difficult to take seriously the doctrine that worry is sin. Some Christians are so used to worrying that, as soon as they stop, they start right up again. Why? The absence of worry creates a vacuum in their lives. They start feeling guilty if they don't have something to worry about.

How does worry operate? The late Martin Lloyd-Jones said: "worry is something that comes and grips us and takes control of us. It is a mighty power, and active force, and if we do not realize that, we are certain to be defeated by it. If it cannot get us to be anxious and burdened by the state and condition of things that are actually confronting us, it will take this next step, it will go on into the future" (p. 147, Sermon on the Mount. I am indebted to Lloyd-Jones for his many helpful insights.)

This future dynamic to worry is what Jesus understood very well. That is why He commands us in verse 34, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Why does Jesus say, "Do not worry about tomorrow"? Worry has an active imagination. It can see all kinds of bad things taking place tomorrow, or next week, or next year. It transports us into the future like a time machine. The mind spins worst-case scenarios one after the other. The possibility of something humiliating or horrible happening haunts our thoughts. Worry can be relentless. Finally, it runs us into the ground and saps our joy.

What is the solution? Jesus says, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them." Look at the birds! Jesus wants us to be bird-watchers. The last time I went backpacking was in the Mojave Desert. What a desolate place. Nevertheless, flocks of fowl dwell there: quail and some kind of sparrow-looking thing. The little sparrows amazed me. They flitted from cactus to cactus, and would perch on the sharpest cholla needles without injury. Then I tried to figure out what they ate and drank. We saw no water and few flying insects. Maybe they find seeds, or beetles, or eat cactus.

The bottom line is this: God feeds them. How does He do it? Does He stretch out His hand and drop worms down their throats? No, He sustains nature in such a way that the birds find the wherewithal to feed themselves. He puts worms in the ground, berries in the trees, seeds in the brush; then the warblers spend their days searching for what God has supplied. Even though the birds never plough the soil nor harvest crops, nor gather in barns God gives them life and takes care of them. "Are you not of more value than they?" Created in God's image, human beings are of superior value to the animal world. The logic of the argument goes from the lesser to the greater. If God gives life and food and water to the birds, then He certainly will provide for people like you and me. Once in while a famine will kill people on a mass scale, but nowadays famines are generated by the evil rule of tyrants. Zimbabwe and North Korea are examples. God has blessed our nation with abundance, and if our walk is faithful and obedient, there is no reason to doubt that God will continue to provide for us.

"Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?" The Rev. Jose Lezcano, my Pastor in Paraguay, liked this verse. He was barely five feet tall. By taking to heart this thought of Jesus he was able to accept his short stature.

Moving on. The same concern for food and drink applies to clothing. Reading Matthew 6:28-30. [Read them.]

Just as Jesus encourages us to watch the birds of the air, so He urges us to consider the flowers of the field. At times, the wild flowers in the deserts and hills of Southern California rival the jewel-bedecked robes of Solomon and all his glory. If we have some good rains this winter and spring make it a point to take some hikes and see the wildflowers. Jesus speaks also of grass that is thrown into the oven. I think He is speaking of the bundles of grass that people formerly used for fuel and heating. If you read The Little House on the Prairie series, the family of Laura Ingalls burned grass during the frigid winters of South Dakota. With few trees on the prairie, people resorted to gathering dried grass and tying it into tight bunches. The bundles took the place of firewood and produced sufficient heat with which to cook and warm one's body.

Have you ever seen a flower sit down at a sewing machine to make a coat or robe? Grass as well is incapable of knitting sweaters for itself. God is the One who clothes the lilies of the field and the grass on the hills. Again the argument runs from the lesser to the greater. If He clothes the flowers with such glory, how much more will he do it for you, "O you of little faith."

Why does Jesus accuse worriers of little faith? Anxiety-ridden people have this propensity to box up their faith. Christians who worry confine their faith to one or two spheres. They have faith that the blood of Jesus has saved them from sin; and they may have faith to partake of the sacrament. This is wonderful. But their faith does not go beyond that. Their faith fails to extend to the whole of life and all departments. When they limit their faith by applying it only to salvation, the result is spiritual harm: in their daily lives they walk defeated, they live like unbelievers, and they end up sick and somber. It is because they have curtailed the scope of their faith.

Reading next Matthew 6:31-33. [Read them.]

What's wrong with seeking after food, drink, and clothes? Why does Jesus disapprove of the pagans for seeking the basics of life? Jesus actually condemns the manner in which non-Christians relate to food, drink, and clothes. Unbelievers tend to acquire a materialistic obsession with that kind of thing. They are governed by the desire to amass worldly possessions, and once they obtain them they worry about holding on to them. We all like good food, tasty beverages, and nice clothing, but some people allow those things to dominate their lives. The heart and mind of the Christian is not governed by a hedonistic consumption of food, drink, and clothing. Other things dominate the child of God; a love for the Lord, a passion for the growth of the kingdom of God, and a striving for righteousness. These are far more important goals. If you are going to worry about something, go ahead and worry about the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Jesus gives you permission to do that.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." "Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." What is that last phrase about? It has to do with the Fall. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve lived and worked free of sin, free from the curse, and all the trouble the curse created. But sin introduced death and other vile consequences. Mankind would eat bread by the sweat of his brow, the ground would hereafter bring forth thorns, and women would bear children in pain. Consequently, every day has its quota of troubles. Yesterday had its quota of trouble, today has its quota of trouble and tomorrow will have its quota. So Jesus is instructing us to tackle the problems of today, but don't add tomorrow's problems onto the present. Think about it: worry has to do with an error about time. You want to be in some time other than the present. The student who is worrying about a test three weeks ahead is really trying to write the examination answers now. Since he doesn't have the questions in front of him, it is a rather difficult thing to do. No wonder that he is worried. Jesus says, "Do not worry about tomorrow." It is a total waste of time and energy. "Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Refuse those anxious thoughts about tomorrow!

So how can I reduce worry? Several ways. First, live in the present. Trust in God today. Do not worry about tomorrow. Yes, by all means save money. Get your life insurance and health insurance and set up a retirement fund. But put your faith in God for today in terms of problems and troubles. Live one day at a time. He helped you today; He will help you tomorrow. Don't drag the troubles of yesterday or tomorrow into the present. You'll just make yourself miserable.

Second, keep in mind the love and sovereignty of God. God is the Ruler of the universe, and He knows you, for you are His child. Your life is not an accident. God created the world with a plan and a purpose, and He created you with a plan and a purpose. You are in His arms and you are in His care. Trust in His love and power. The fact that you are alive at this moment is entirely because God decided it. He knows everything about you and is concerned about the smallest detail of your life. That being the case: do not worry.

Third. Do what you can. If you are a farmer, get on your tractor; sow and reap and gather into barns. If you are a teacher, prepare for your lessons, go to class, teach your students, and grade their papers. If you are in construction, get your tools and go to the job site, and work hard. Do what you can. Those are the three rules for effectiveness in Christian living. Live in the present. Trust in God's love and sovereignty. And do what you can. Will you make mistakes? Of course you will. Do you need to worry about it? No. God deals gently with honest mistakes. He will guard you from being harmed by your innocent blunders.

On Thursday, Lord willing, you will celebrate Thanksgiving with feasts and various activities. Give the Lord a double dose of gratitude. Call to memory all the gifts of God you enjoy. How often do you thank God for the gift of life itself? Do it this Thanksgiving. How about your body? Thank Him for that. What about your clothes? Let your heart overflow with gratitude to the Lord. He provides you constantly with food, drink, and clothing. Thank Him for your family, and church, and country. Thank Him for the redemption of the world. Here is a suggestion: as you sit before a cooked turkey and the trimmings, allow each person a chance to tell what he or she is thankful for. Go around the table. Have a special Thanksgiving this year by giving God your gratitude.

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