There are two passages in the Bible where Jesus talks about worrying. Matthew 6 and Luke 12.
If
I had to describe myself with one word, I think it would be "worrier."
If it wasn't so cynical, I think I should win an award.
I
can remember the age that I started to worry more than I should.
Thirteen years old and in middle school. It was terrible. I worried
about friends, social status, what I looked liked, and everything else
that matters when you are thirteen years of age. Worrying became second
nature to me. Right now, if I think about it, I can imagine what it's
like to be anxious because I feel like I've mastered it well. All I have
to do is get stuck in a situation without thinking of the grand
perspective of things. That leads me to Luke 12.
I challenge you to read the whole chapter. It's a bit long, but very well worth it. Click here for a link to the passage.
The
beginning starts off with Jesus warning his disciples about the
Pharisees, who at the time were finding the foundation of their faith in
rituals and routines; not looking at the face of God. Jesus says, "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What
you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you
have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the
roofs."
Can
you imagine having what you do in the dark or behind closed doors being
revealed to the whole world one day? Or at least just a group of people
who you consider to be your accountability or people you respect? See,
what we do in the dark or what no one notices will be revealed, but not
to people in the room or to righteous people, but God himself. He
already sees what goes on behind closed doors even before we delve into
the act. Proverbs 15:11 says, "Even Death and Destruction hold no secrets from the LORD. How much more does he know the human heart!"
I want to remember that my hidden deeds are seen by the Lord and will be rewarded according to what I deserve.
If you continue in Luke 12, Jesus continues by saying:
I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But
I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has
been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you,
fear him.
Side note, I used to think this was talking about Satan. I know he has power, but
it's not the same as God's power and it's limited compared to Him. That
said, when temptations come and trials rise, we often become anxious
and fearful for the future. This is when we get thoughts like,
"How am I going to do everything on this list?"
"What if something happens to her while she's there?"
"What if I forgot something?"
"Why does it have to be this way?"
"Why did it have to happen?"
In
the grand scope of things, worrying cuts back on life. I'm not talking
about medical journals that now state that human life is in fact
shorter when they suffer from depression or anxiety disorders, but I am
talking about the time wasted on what could be a productive life.
I
remember sitting in church and feeling my hands shake in my lap and my
heart burn with anxiety. I wasn't trusting God. Let me get more
specific. I wasn't looking at who God was. Over my fears and anxieties, I
couldn't see the God I once knew who was strong, mighty, and powerful.
He was in fact hidden in my mind, becoming numb in my conscience because
I was afraid of what was going on my life compared to who He was.
When we fear someone or something, they become our master. I believe fear could be one of the most powerful emotions for mankind. It has the ability to make us shake. It has the ability to make people's hearts pound what seems like a million miles a minute, cripple a person from moving one inch, make another person sick to their stomach, make a person cry out for relief, and make a whole body tremble until that person is face down on the ground.
We see this in Isaiah when he faced God. In chapter 6, he saw himself unworthy to be in the presence of the Lord (Isaiah 6:1-7). When Daniel sees the vision of the future, he becomes sick and faint (Daniel 8:27). The Apostle John sees God's throne and falls flat to floor worshiping Him (Revelations 1:17). The next verse is what the theme for which we are to live ourselves, even if we are told to fear God.
John falls in fear to the holy God (Jesus Christ) in front of him, but God tells him this:
"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."
God not only says to not be afraid, but He describes himself so
John will see who He really is.
God is a God of love, but he also not a God of fear (1 John 4:18). The opposite of fear is hope. Fear is what ceases a moment from enjoyment, hope is what brings joy to a moment.
In
Luke 12, Jesus says to be afraid of the one who can throw our bodies
into hell. That is God. We should fear Him, but there a unhealthy way of
fearing him and right way to fear him.
The basis of who God is should be set in our minds and hearts and based
of that, we should be able to get a better picture of who God is. Who
God is can be described in so many ways. He is holy, righteous, just,
loving, merciful, and the same everyday.
Try
to get this. If we feared God first before we added all the loving
characteristics of Him. I mean the characteristics that put us at ease
with Him that make of us passive towards fully giving Him the respect He
deserves in the way we pray or how much time we spend with Him everyday
in the Bible. What if we first feared Him to be able to fully
understand Him?
Proverbs 9:10:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Did
you get that? The first part of understanding anything about God is
fear. Not in the same realm of fear that we get when we see something we
are afraid of, but the idea and understanding that God has power to
keys of life and death. Doesn't that blow
your mind? He is the one, the only one (we will find out later) we
should fear. And yet from the encounters of the men who have come face
to face with God shows that God doesn't want us to have a relationship or
view of Him based purely off of fear, but only as a foundation for
which we will respect Him and learn to love as He has loved us.
See
the gospel of why Jesus Christ came to earth and died is based off the
idea that God is perfect. So perfect that none of us humans can compare
to God, our creator. We are creatures made to be in His image-- holy and
righteous. Yet we sinned. So that is a good enough reason why we should
be intimidated by Him because when we look at Him, we cannot help, but
compare ourselves
to what He intended us to be and all we can see is our sin nature. Our
sin nature is what conjures fear.
Sin is what we want to get away from in this lifetime. Sin has only led
us to fear.
1 Peter 4:8 says love covers a multitude of sins.
How
sweet is it to know that God, despite being so perfect and deserving of
something better than us humans who cannot break the habit of sin with
him sent his son to die for our sins and makes it clear he wants a
relationship with us?
This is the way I look at
it. The fears and anxieties of this world that I have can be handed to
God. We like to say "hand it over to God and trust Him." Yet sometimes I forget what that really means. In my understanding it
means to fear God first and upon looking at Him, I forget my fears and
anxieties. And if I have to, I will hand them over in prayer, but
ultimately I need a right view of Him.
Luke 12 continues by saying, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
Leap
forward to verses 22-59, Jesus is talking worry, how seeking the
Kingdom of God first and everything will be added unto us, and the end
times all play together to God's perfect plan for us.
I
suggest you read it yourself. And perhaps read Matthew 6:25-34 which overlaps
the passage. When I read this for the first time, questions that popped
into my mind was how we often underestimate what God will provide for
us. I don't think it's wrong to live a comfortable suburban lifestyle,
but sometimes when we focus too much on making sure we have everything
before we are ready to take advantage of the things presented to us by
the Lord, I think we can lose sight of Him pretty easily.
I
want to live a life that my only fear is relinquished Christ's
sacrifice. That is a holy God who has the power to send me to hell. And
because of what He did for me, I remember that His grace is all the more
sweeter and generous than I might like to think than if I don't fear
Him or see the power of life and death He holds in His hands.
This
has been a lesson for me these past few weeks and I thank God for all
that He is showing me. May this post be blessing and maybe re-establish a
right view of who God is. Holy. Righteous. Worthy of our utmost
respect. Fearful, yet full of extending grace and love.
Last Thoughts
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