What if...
This is the manuscript from the sermon I proclaimed last Sunday at Life in Christ. The sermon itself was 15 minutes long.
Do
not be anxious about anything. Well, I
guess that’s easy for Paul to say. But
what about you and me. What about those
of us who seem to have been stricken with the worry gene. On our recent vacation, it was determined
that we would do some snorkeling.
Anxiety set in. I don’t know how
to swim. Dogs laugh at me when I try to
dogpaddle, just to stay afloat.
Don’t
be anxious about anything. It’s hard not
to be anxious when you just don’t know how to care for your aging parents. Or when a mysterious mole appears on your
back. Or when your once conscientious child no longer seems to care about
school or church or anything.
Anxiety
ruins our sleep, our health. It wrecks
our concentration. It can turn the most
mild mannered person into a jittery, nail-biting mess.
And
with worry and anxiety comes guilt. You
know that it makes no sense to let yourself become anxious. Jesus taught that if God clothes the flowers
in the fields and feeds even the most insignificant sparrow, can’t He take care
of you too? And you respond, “Yes, Lord! I know you love me and you take care
of me every day! Forgive me when I act as if I don’t believe it.”
I was
in a meeting earlier this week and the ideas were coming fast and furious. And they were good ideas, ideas that our
church should consider as a part of extending our outreach. But all I could think was, “My schedule is
pretty full as it is. How in the world
could I possible see to it that all these other things get done too?” Finally,
I had to call a halt. “I’m getting
stressed out!” It was too much for me.
My anxiety was running as hot as those plates they serve at Abuelo’s.
Is
that how it is for some of you. You see
your plate as being full, so to speak.
But at work you’re assigned three new tasks. How will it all get done? Or, you’re a stay
at home mom or dad. You managed getting
through the summer – barely. But now the
kids are in school, there’s now teams and practices to take the kids to, there
are school projects that must get done – maybe that night! Suddenly, you feel
stressed out! The worry gene kicks in.
The anxiety seems as thick as the smoke from a California wildfire. What are you going to do?
Paul
says, “Do not be anxious about anything.”
But that’s not all he says, is it?
“But in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. And the peace of
God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus.”
So,
what if we “worry warts” would do what Paul has suggested. What if when we feel anxiety starting to
build up to stop, drop to our knees or in a chair and pray about what we’re
feeling? What if when we begin to feel stress pulling us down that we silently
ask the Lord to lift us up and keep our minds focused on His love and mercy?
Do
not be anxious about anything but in everything… Here is some good news – nothing that happens
in our lives is insignificant to God. We
tend to categorized troubles. We reason, “Why bother God with some of the easy
trials we face? We can take care of those.”
On the other hand, God says, “Bring it all to me. The blown engine and the skinned knee. The overdrawn account and the lost book bag.” Jesus taught, “The very hairs of your head
are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you
are worth more than many sparrows.” So,
with that kind of encouragement, bring everything to the Lord.
Paul
says by prayer and petition…. For many
of us, we learned to pray at a very young age.
My parents taught my sister and I “Come Lord, Jesus, be our guest…” And there was, “Now I lay me down to
sleep…” And, of course, there was the
Lord’s Prayer. I felt very good when I
could pray that prayer without any help.
I
heard of one parent of who decided to teach the Lord’s Prayer to his son. Each night the parent would add one petition
with the hope that in a few weeks the boy could say the prayer without
help. One night the boy said, “I think
I’ve can do it.” So, he started out,
“Our Father, who art in heaven,” and away he went. The child was doing so well until he prayed,
“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from email…”
What
if we would just devote ourselves to prayer.
Instead, of becoming overwhelmed by the tasks of the day, what might
happen if we prayed to God first. Is
that not the example Jesus set for you and me?
Mark 1:35 – “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus
got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place where He prayed.” If Jesus thought that it was important enough
to make an appointment to pray to His Father, wouldn’t we be wise to do the
same?
Don’t
be anxious but by prayer and petition…
That word, petition, in the Greek, carries the meaning to “make a
request for a specific benefit.” I know
that when I feel overcome by anxiety my mind seems to race at a thousand miles
an hour. It hard to think clearly. It’s difficult to make a decision.
What
if, when caught up in the whirlwind of worry, we just stopped, took a couple of
deep breaths and then spoke to God and made some specific requests?
“Dear
Lord, I have a doctor’s appointment today at 9 am about the results of my c-scan. I fear it’s cancer. Help me to calm down. There is nothing the doctor will tell me that
you and I can’t handle together. And if
I can’t handle it, you’ll take it all on yourself. I ask that I receive a good report. I pray that it is not cancer. I ask that I would be blessed with good
health. I pray for the strength to
accept whatever may come my way. May
Your will be done. Amen.”
Or,
“Jesus, you know I have an important job interview this afternoon at 3 pm. Enable me to relax. Give me peace. I need this job. Open the door for me, please. Let me leave there today with a job offer in
hand. Thank you for hearing my prayer,
Jesus. May Your will always be done in
my life. Amen.”
Picture
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He is
on His knees, His cloak pulled tightly around his body. He is suffering anxiety like no one has ever
suffered. In a halting voice, He offers
a very specific prayer – “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken
from me.” And then Jesus prayed, “Yet
not as I will but as you will.”
So,
if Jesus can make specific requests to the Father, can’t we do the same? And if
Jesus submitted Himself to the Father’s will, can’t we do the same too?
Do
not be anxious about anything…but by prayer…with thanksgiving. Paul is teaching us that when we come to God
in prayer and have made specific requests about those things that worry us so,
wrap up those prayers with a bow of thanksgiving.
I
just recently celebrated a birthday. And
I was surprised and humbled by the thoughtfulness of those who gave me cards
and gifts. I was truly grateful for
their love and care. I hope that I
expressed my heartfelt thanks to them.
How
much more does our God deserve our thanks.
Isn’t it just a little more than surprising that, given our rebellious
behavior, that God would send His one and only Son to be our Savior. Who else can offer a gift like that. One that
we don’t even deserve. And when we
examine our lives and see our sin and selfishness and all those times when we
didn’t live for God but only for ourselves, well, aren’t we humbled that God
loves us anyway? We’ve given God plenty
of reasons to shake us off like so many dust particles off His feet. Instead, He puts on us Jesus’ perfect robe of
righteousness. He makes us ready to
enter His kingdom. Someone once said, “A
prayer without thanksgiving is like a bird without wings. It’s hard to get off the ground.” So, pray, pray specifically, but do so with
thanksgiving.
Now,
what would happen if us “nervous nellies” would do just as Paul has taught us?
What if, the next time we feel that our hearts are going to burst because of
the pressure we’re feeling, we would take a deep breath or two, sit or kneel,
and tell God what’s happening with us and be specific about it. What might happen as a result of our time of
prayer?
How
does the word, “peace,” sound to you?
Paul wrote: “And the peace of God, that passes all understanding, will
guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
What
a wonderful promise that is. No longer
living each day in a panic. Instead,
having the peace of God come over you, like a warm blanket that covers you on a
cold night.
This
peace is also a gift of God. Peace is
delivered by Jesus Christ. Our sins are
forgiven. Our salvation is certain. Nothing can separate us from God’s love. We have His Word that He will answer our
prayers. We can leave our cares and concerns
with the Father and trust that His watchful and loving eyes will never leave us
as we go through our day.
Well,
I don’t snorkel very well. But not all
of my time at the beach was wasted. At
the Black Sand Beach on the road to Hona, I picked up this black stone. I’ve decided it will be my “anxious for
nothing” stone. This doesn’t mean that
with this stone with my pocket, I won’t ever feel anxious or worried. But when I begin to feel like that, I’m going
to reach in my pocket and hold onto this stone.
I pray that it will remind me to take a deep breath or two and then
remember these words: Do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. And the peace of
God that passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus. Amen.
