Day 2: What are you worried about?

Day 2: What are you most worried about?

Read: Matthew 6:25-33 NRSV

As the song goes .... Don't worry, Be Happy. When released back in September 1988 it was the first 'A Cappella' song to go number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It stayed there for a remarkable two weeks. For those of us who may not be so musically inclined, 'A Cappella' music is specifically solo or group singing without any instrumental sound. Was Bobby McFerrin worried that the song would go nowhere or would not be well received because we are so used to hearing instruments playing?

Perhaps to some degree he was because previously, no song had ever hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart without music actually being played. Perhaps he was not so worried about where it would land in the Billboard charts. Perhaps it was just the message of encouragement itself he desired to convey to the listening audience. Perhaps because it reached the number one slot, it was a message that so many of us needed to hear because we were not hearing it enough in our homes, at work, in our schools and also from our communities of faith. Maybe we took it for granted. And who is it that more than just from time to time needs to be encouraged?

One of the most consistent themes woven into Scripture is Don't worry, Be Happy. Woven throughout the Old Testament from is God's sure message: Do not worry, Do not fear for I am with you. Even Cain when he was sent into exile by the Lord was told, I will still be with you. From Noah and the message of the rainbow, to Abram being called out of his home and told to go a distant he had never seen. Isaac and Jacob too had the divine assurance. Moses being called to go into Egypt, Joshua being told three times by God "Have I not told you, be strong and courageous."

From the great writings of the Psalms - Psalm 23, and throughout the Prophets, the message of God has steadily been one of encouragement -- even in times of great uncertainty -- when the Israelite nation was sent into 70 years of exile. Isaiah 43:1-2, Jeremiah 17:7-8, 29:11, and so many more. The message of the entire book of Nehemiah is of strong encouragement in the face of trying to rebuild a city.

From our New Testament reading Jesus says (commands?) "Do not worry about your life ... (v. 25). But is this possible? Is it plausible? Is it doable? Is this one more thing that I need to worry about living out in my life? Let's face it, there will always be something to worry about - family, health, finances, work, ... you name it, we will find a way to worry about it. It is in our nature to worry. It is our right to worry.

Does the presence of worry in our lives indicate a low level of trust in God? Will a higher level of personal trust in God invariably result in a reduction of worry. I am not sure because it gives me one more thing to place in my bag of worries. But, with prayer I am ready to give it a try. I am ready to put more faith and less worry in my life. It wont be the least bit easy and I'll worry whether or not I am putting forth a good effort and encouraging others to do so. It makes the effort at being obedient to Jesus' message - quit worrying - I've got it under control - trust me! prayerful.

Jesus really desires for us to be very low on the worry scale and very high on the peace and joy scale. He would much rather we raise the trust scale higher and higher through prayer and other spiritual disciplines. Jesus knows a little about trust and the benefits and blessings provided through trusting implicitly in God. Paul writes in Philippians 4:5-6 to be anxious about nothing and pray when this does not work.

Sounds simple and clear enough. But why does it seem so impossible to us and why is trust so hard to find trust? Jesus gives us the answer: Trust happens when we intentionally seek to find more of God's kingdom in our lives than we look to our own. We deliberately place more of God in our lives and seek it above all else. We strive every day to make trust in God a greater priority in our lives, a greater opportunity for growth than worrying about things we have so little control over anyways that all too often only serve drag us deeper into the valleys of despair and defeat.

When you wake up each morning, say to God "Today, Lord, with your help, I am going to put more of you first in my life and seek your perfect will in all that I do (Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 118:8). It may not stop us from worrying about this that or the other, but prayerfully we will discover and experience more of God's comfort and presence and be blessed beyond words. Trust in God increases while the worries of our world decreases (John 3:30-31). Praise be to God for the infinite possibilities that come from a life lived and blessed through trusting less of me and more of Him.

To be sure, it takes all of us time to get this profound message of encouragement. But do not worry, in time, we will get better and better at listening to the message.

Let us set aside our worries for a moment and pray for more trust:

Creating and Redeeming God, we have come here with our worries and our fears to learn how to listen more to your message of encouragement and to share with you all that is on our hearts and minds. Because you are a God who listens and answers prayers, we come also to praise you and give you thanks for blessings received.

We have come to seek your face for you are worthy and because our needs are so many, they seek to overwhelm us, to drag us down and away from trusting you. We deliberately come into your Holy Presence because you are always to be found, sometimes hidden in the common places we take so much for granted. Help us to make more of you in our lives of a greater priority for today and a greater one each day beyond this. Do not remove from us our worries, but use them in spite of us to help us grow and mature in our faith, our hopes and our trust in you.

Fill us with your love and empower us through your Holy Spirit that we may rest solely in the message of encouragement found only in Jesus Christ our Lord.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o0ExGXfs2o

Don't worry be happy - Bobby Mc Ferrin | Smiley edition!

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Dont' worry be happy - Bobby Mc Ferrin