“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." Matthew 6:34 MSG
Finding Peace in the Midst of Worry
Opening my email, I was unexpectedly flooded with a familiar sense of unease. As I read the opening lines, fear and dread began to descend on me. I was reminded of events these past few years that had been painful, heart-wrenching, and just awful. As waves of stress hormones coursed through my veins, I sought solace in the bathroom, gazing at my reflection in the mirror.
It was time to redirect my thoughts and find comfort in a well-known verse.
"Do not worry. Do not worry. Remember the lilies, remember the birds," I murmured to myself, "or whatever that verse is."
I repeated these words again and again, knowing that worry doesn't simply fade away because I want it to. It requires a conscious effort, a supernaturally-aided effort, to remind ourselves of the truth.
In Matthew's Gospel, chapter six, verses 25-34, Jesus is recorded as saying "Do not worry" or "why do you worry?" four times in just a few verses.
From Matthew 6:25-34, NIV, Do Not Worry:
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Prone to worry
These verses serve as gentle reminders because we humans are prone to worry. We can so easily become fearful of the unknown and anxious about all kinds of things. Admittedly, both globally and closer to home, there's been no shortage of things to trigger anxiety lately, whether it's life-threatening circumstances, overwhelming financial burdens, pandemic lockdowns or the regular unpredictability of parenting through the teenage years.
As I focused my thoughts on those words, I whispered over and over, "Do not worry… do not worry." Gradually, my mind shifted from overwhelming concern to the One who was urging me not to worry, to Jesus. He wasn't chastising me for my tendency to worry but loving me, gently reminding me (with words about flowers and birds and gentle, beautiful things that bring me joy) that there is no need for worry. He is taking care of me, He is in control, and He knows all the details, yes, even the circumstances of that morning's email. He also knows the outcome of this situation, He knows the endgame. He wants me to be mindful of His faithfulness in the past, to remember how He has answered my prayers, how He has rescued, sustained, encouraged, comforted me.
I headed out the door that morning a little calmer on the outside; deep inside, the unsettling feelings lingered. I had driven half the way downtown to the office when I became aware of the music playing on The Bridge, the local Christian radio station. The melody drew me in, and as the verse led into the chorus, I began to sing along,
"Great is Your faithfulness to me." [Promises by Maverick City Music]
I put my faith in Jesus
My anchor to the ground
My hope and firm foundation
He'll never let me down.
God's faithfulness to me through dark, dark valleys in recent years has been part of my story and music has played (has always played) a leading role in how I've heard God's voice. Again that morning, a song playing on the radio touched me, reminding me of times when I had worried needlessly. In the end, God used those very dark situations to strengthen my faith, impact others positively, and turn things around. If I had known then what I know now, I wouldn't have wasted so much energy when worrying gained me nothing.
Today, as you face whatever challenges come your way, let's encourage each other not to worry. Our God is a loving Father who is not waiting to chastise us for our weaknesses. Instead, He gently reminds us of the strength, courage, and wisdom that are readily available to us as His children. Hand over your burdens to Him for He cares for you.
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As if completing the bookends on my day, the short four-minute drive home from work that afternoon was again accompanied by Christian music on the radio. As I came to a stop at traffic lights half way home, the familiar song claimed its place as the soundtrack to my day.
"Great is Your faithfulness to me"
The same song that had touched me that morning accompanied me again on my drive home. Coincidence? Just a popular song on a limited playlist? Or God getting my attention, assuring me that I can trust Him and that He is faithful? I believe the latter. Thank you, Lord!
Consider the lilies
As I held this journey to 'remember the lilies' in my mind, a beautiful encounter awaited me at home. I walked through the gate to the back garden and waves of captivating fragrance filled the air. It took my breath away. Intrigued, I retraced my steps to locate the source of the sweet scent and discovered it was coming from the magnificent Giant Orienpet lilies I'd been enjoying earlier that morning. They had just started blooming a day before.
Remember the lilies… the words slowly came together in my mind. Those beautifully tall, trumpet-shaped white flowers were bursting with joy, a precious reminder from God of His tender care of me.
During a recent counseling session, as we delved deeper into my worries and anxieties, I found myself grappling with a heavy ball of fear in the pit of my stomach. The fear of what may happen, the pain of past events, and the truths I needed to be reminded of. But one truth emerged clearly: the Lord says not to worry about tomorrow because each day carries enough worries of its own. He has repeatedly shown me that He is with me, that He will help me. As I have meditated on the opening words from Psalm 23 these past few years, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I lack nothing," I am striving to more fully embrace the belief that God is who He says He is, and I need not worry because He will take care of me, and anyone who claims Him as their shepherd. [Let me be clear, this in no way means everything will be just fine - quite the opposite perhaps, as plenty of life experiences confirm to me that life is hard, painful, messy and complicated, and yet in all that, He will be with me, whatever may come, and for that, I am eternally grateful].
Leaning in and trusting
Finding peace in the midst of worry is an ongoing struggle. So I'm leaning in and trusting the One who is faithful.
The Message paraphrases Matthew 6:34 beautifully: “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."
So the Giant Orienpet lilies in our back garden serve as another reminder of God's faithfulness, another stone of remembrance of His goodness to me. Let's consider, let's remember the lilies and find peace knowing we can trust our unknowns to a God who knows and who is faithful.
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