Anxiety is an opportunity

One of my concerns nowadays is brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering from depression, panic anxiety and dementia.  I also worry when I think of family members who take care of them with love.  When I think about how hard it must be for both who are going through depression, panic anxiety or dementia and those family members who love them, I become anxious and keep on worrying about them.  Even though I know that the Bible says “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7), I still worry.  Even though I keep on trying to hold on to this Word of 1 Peter 5:7 and pray for them, I still worry after I have prayed for them when I think about them.  It is because I am not casting all my anxiety on the Lord as the Bible says.  It is because of my lack weak faith.

When we look at the context of Luke 12:26, which is verses 22-34, Jesus is saying to his disciples, ‘Do not worry.’  Jesus is also saying to us, “do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on” (v. 22) and “And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying” (v. 29).  Why?  What are His reasons?  I think there are at least five reasons: (1) It is because we cannot add a single hour to our life’s span by worrying (v. 25).  What’s the use of worrying about this and that.  It’s no use.  It doesn’t help us at all.  We know this but we still worry.  We cannot help ourselves from worrying.  (2) It is because we cannot do even a very little thing (v. 26).  I don’t know why I worry about other things because I cannot do such a small thing (v. 26).  (3) It is because the non-believers run after all these things (Mt. 6:32).  (4) It is because Our Father knows that we need them (Lk. 12:30).  Heavenly Father knows what we need, so we shouldn’t be worried.  But we still worry.  The reason is because we have little faith (v. 28).  Because we have little faith, we worry about our lives, what we will eat; or about our body, what we will wear (v. 22).

                What should we do?  We should consider the ravens (v. 24).  We should look at the birds of the air (Mt. 6:26).  I still remember.  Last time I went to a mountain for the English ministry retreat, I looked at the birds sitting on a tree in the morning as I sat on a chair in the porch outside the house and the Bible Matthew 6:26 came in to my mind: “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?”  So when I looked at the birds and meditated for a while, I thought to myself: 'Since Heavenly Father raises the birds, will He not raise me who is much precious and honorable than these (Isa. 43:4).’  Actually all my life, God has provided me daily food for me so I have never been without food.  Also, Heavenly Father always has provided me something to wear, so I had never been naked.  Rather, God allowed me to live in abundance and overflowing with food and clothes.  Nevertheless, I worry about things like this.  Also I worry about what to say to the other person in a relationship (Mt. 10:19).  I am also concerned with the affairs of the world, that how I can please my wife (1 Cor. 7:33).   Beside these things, I am concerned about our church (2 Cor. 11:28; cf. Lk. 10:41).  I am very concerned and worry about a church member may not only leave the church but also leave Jesus (Deut. 29:18).  Especially I worry that I will fall into the Satan’s temptations (1 Tim. 3:7).  All these worries of life weight my heart down (Lk 21:34) and chock the word of God so that I cannot be fruitful (Mk. 4:19).  Even though I know that I shouldn’t be like this, I am still worry about many things.  To me this is what the Lord says: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Mt. 6:34).

                I don’t want to worry about tomorrow.  I want to live with all my worries left to the Lord.  I don’t know why I'm keep on worrying even though I know it’s not going to get better.  I don’t know why I worry about other things even though I cannot do even the smallest thing.  It is because of my little faith.  I want to firmly believe in God who knows best what I need.  So I don’t want to worry about what to eat, what to drink and what to wear like non-believers and be busy in pursuing them.  Rather, I want to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33).  And I want to prioritize my heart and my prayer straight in seeking His kingdom and His righteousness first as I trust His word that “all these things will be given to you as well” (v. 33).  In order to do so, I want to devote myself more to meditating on the Word of God for the growth of my faith as well as for my firm faith in God (Rom. 10:17).  As I do so, I want to see the birds flying in the air often.  I also want to think about how the lilies of the field grow (Mt. 6:28).  The reason is because I want to live by seeking God's kingdom and His will day by day with the conviction that the Father God will continually feed and clothe me, much more than birds and flowers.

Despite the situation of the worries of this life (Mk. 4:19), I commit all my anxieties to my Heavenly Father who cares for me (1 Pet. 5: 1) and decide not to worry about tomorrow,

Pastor James Kim