Why Worry?

Our modern day English word worry comes from an Old English word wyrgan, that means "to choke," or "strangle." How clearly descriptive of the essence of worry! Worry not only chokes people up at times and even leads some to a panic attack, but it can also strangle our thoughts and our actions. It can choke out the positive beauty of our surroundings. We can become so absorbed in futile worry that we never seem to take the time to stop and smell the roses along life's way.

It would seem people today share some of the same attitudes of those whom Jesus addressed in His sermon on the mountain. After all, is it not important to be concerned about essentials such as food and clothing? Can we not clothe our worry in acceptability by saying, "After all, I'm not worrying about or coveting luxurious and extravagant things. I'm just concerned about my basic needs and the daily welfare of my family."

But this is exactly what Jesus says we cannot do. Such worry reflects a daily distrust of God. Such illogical rationalisation is reflected in the story about two men who were discussing their relationship with their wives. One asserted loudly that he was the head of his house, carried all the important concerns upon his own shoulders and made all the major decisions. When asked to explain he said, "I am the one who is concerned about world and national affairs. I am the one who worries about inflation and recession and other major economic matters. My wife takes care of the relatively unimportant concerns and decisions such as buying a house or car. She decides about the school our children attend and small things like that.

Remember the history of Israel wandering in the wilderness? How He fed them with the miracles of the manna and then the quail? God would only give them a limited supplies of food and water. The reason is obvious He wanted them to glorify Him by trusting Him implicitly and absolutely for their daily provisions. They were not to worry. When they did so, the result was ungrateful murmuring and complaining that ultimately led to the loving, but severe, chastening hand of God falling upon them.

I heard once of a rich man who was known to be a chronic worrier. He finally came to recognise just how futile and destructive his worry habit could be. He advertised in the local paper for someone to do his worrying for him. He told the man his major concerns and worries. He then assigned him the task of worrying about these things each night. He rationalised that he then could get a good sound night's sleep. The man went to his assigned place and, sitting at his desk, began to worry. Just after midnight he heard his employer creep into the room. He asked him, "What are you doing here?" The chronic worrier replied, "I couldn't sleep. I was worried that you were not really worrying about my worries!"

Learning Patience

Were you ever told by your parent, “Be patient!”? Or did you ever say the same thing to our children? It’s much easier said than done. I well remember being counselled to be patient as I anxiously awaited the coming of Christmas, annual school holidays or some other long anticipated joy. But even more memorable was waiting for a cast to be removed from a broken limb or a bandage from an injury. Even at the earliest age many of us learned the truth of James’ statement, “tribulation works patience!”

At times like these we get an inkling of the patience of Job and how he acquired it. A patient once asked a doctor as he lay immobilised by a very serious accident, “Doctor, how long will I have to lie here?” The doctor answered, “Only one day at a time!”

Learning Patience Sometimes Requires Us To Go Through The School Of Hard Knocks, Then The College Of Crisis In Order To Graduate From The University Of Adversity!

What a lesson. Isn’t it tremendous that sufficient for each day is God’s provision of grace? When we are worried and anxious about the long term, God ministers in the short term, providing grace and endurance for every moment. Patience is a very practical requirement for those who would serve the Lord. How often we encounter problems that no amount of human energy or ingenuity can solve. How frequently we face apparent failures that no amount of knowledge or human wisdom can fix.It may be a relative or a friend we wish to see come to the Lord. When we run up against the stubbornness of self-will, no amount of personal burden, desire, or cleverness on our part, will bring them one millimetre closer to salvation. The time comes when we must concede that only faith, prayer and patience can be brought to bear in the situation.

It may be a relationship conflict in life. Again, a situation in which another’s will is involved. A time when we must ultimate concede that no matter what we do we cannot change another person. We can only allow God to change us and our response to the problem or other person as we submit ourselves to His Holy Spirit working in our lives. If the other party is to be changed, it will have to be the Holy Spirit using us to help them or working directly in their life to bring about the desired changes in attitudes and outlooks and responses. The time comes when we can but rest in the promises of the Lord and lean upon His strong arm to uphold us in the day of our testing and trouble.

It may be a personal trial or thorn in the flesh. A problem or condition that is just beyond our human capacity to cope. A time when we, as Paul, must turn to Him and listen to His voice and accept his promise of sufficient grace. It is then in our resultant infirmity that we may learn patience to keep going on for the Lord.

Yes, we all learned at an early age that patience is related to waiting. Waiting is the common element. For the Christian the critical concern is not just waiting, but how we wait and what waiting works in us. The prophet Isaiah says to those who have exhausted their patience in the work of the Lord, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles: they shall run and not be weary: and they shall walk and not faint.”

Soaring As The Eagle!

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles;..."  (Isaiah 40:30-3

"In 1976 I was privileged to spend a number of weeks in the Solomon Islands with Missionary Neil Morely. We were ministering to and teaching groups of indigenous pastors. It was necessary to fly from one island to another. We were blessed to have Missionary Aviation Fellowship flights available. I will never forget a flight back from a remote village on the Island of Malaita to the main town of Honiara. A storm arose just as we were preparing to take off in the sea plane. The pilot was obviously quite concerned. He would have to fly over a mountain range.

He told us he had no choice because there was a medical emergency. As we headed out, directly into the storm, the clouds became very dark and ascended high into the heavens. It was clear the pilot was praying as hard as we were. Just before we met the storm he said, “Pray with me. I’m going to run into the storm front. If we are blessed, the leading edge up-draft will lift us above the storm and over the mountain!” Our prayers were answered. At just the critical moment the wind caught us and tossed us upward like an autumn leaf for what seemed like a thousand feet or so. You can hardly imagine the prayer of gratitude that flowed for from the heart of His dear little child that day! When I think of our God’s promise that we can mount up with wings as eagles I always think of that awesome and powerful experience."