A-Team Devo: DO NOT WORRY

Don't worry, be happy! 

No...rather, have joy! The joy of a hope that doesn't put you to shame. 

That is, the hope we have in our victory, Jesus.

As He does, the Lord has continued this year to bring back around, and around...and around again a very important lesson. It goes something like this: 

STOP WORRYING! Stop it! Don't! Don't do it! DO. NOT. WORRY.

If there's one thing that steals my joy the most, it is unchecked, unrestrained worry. Not that I even really recognize it most of the time. One, it's not of God, two, it steals more than just joy, and three, He flat out tells us He doesn't want us to do it! Do not worry. 

Easier said than done though, right? 

You may say to yourself that you're doing good because you certainly don't worry about everything...or even many things. Perhaps you've found answers in the past to general recurring situations you face in your life with work, friends, family, etc. 

 But that's not it. 

We don't worry about things we already understand, do we? No! We worry over the things we don't understand! The things that leave us puzzled or unsure about what God could possibly be doing or making good out of.

Is it my own wisdom that will know the answer when a problem comes? Never. Not in any situation would I say this has been true. It will always be God's wisdom. Is a trouble given to me at random to solve, or is it God who deals my hand? The God who knows all and sees all and is in all is making good out of whatever He has laid before me. I must trust that.

A simple, but clear message I heard from Mama Joyce Meyer earlier this year continues to ring in my ears: "If you worry, you're not allowed to pray. And if you pray, you're not allowed to worry." 

If I can at all help it, I certainly don't ever want to choose to put myself in a situation in which I am not allowed to pray. And if it is true that God tells us not to worry, but to pray, I'm not really following what His Word tells me if I somehow consciously choose to do both. It's really only a half-trust if we choose to still allow room for ourselves to worry, even if only but just a bit! 

No, we must let go of one or the other. If you decide you want to be a person who keeps an open, honest line with the Lord, you must give up worrying. But if you are more intent on holding onto your worry with everything you've got, why keep on praying? You already know God's will is not for you to do so.

Philippians 4:6 says,  

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."

It comforts me that we have a God that does not want us to worry. There is immense relief in putting my trust back in God and giving up the worry so tightly wrung in my hand. Not that it always happens instantly; it can be quite a process! But when I am able to give over the burden I am carrying and trust Him with it, I am released to have joy and hope in Jesus. I end up being more available to Him in the meantime too.   

In Luke 10:38-42 we read,  

Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.^" But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

What did Mary choose? To be with God. To be with God is greater than to serve God, or at least, one precedes the other. I've heard a pastor say it this way, "Lovers of God always outwork workers of God" (Mike Bickle). 
  
To be with God first is to choose not to "do" the task in front of you before first connecting with Jesus. Martha was worried enough everything wouldn't get done that she even asked Jesus to make Mary come away from Him too! When we worry, we may even have the tendency to bring others into our worry and away from Christ. 

The less time we spend worrying, the more time we have to spend listening to Jesus. So we must be people who pause, listen to Him, and lastly move. Jesus is life and being alive means movement, but the purpose for the movement comes first and straight from His mouth; His Word.

I envision a person standing in the middle of a high-walled maze, handed a new situation to walk through. There are many paths to choose from, but not all allow exit. All have words written over them. Some say, "control," others, "love." One is labeled, "worry," another, "trust." The "worry" path sometimes allows for exit with the situation in hand, but the carrier never feels peace about it even then. "Trust" is a sure-fire exit every time, but it often is a difficult path to pass. But it never fails.

When I worry, I recognize my own decision to put faith on the back burner. Worrying never seems to help me much in the end. It usually not only eats up my joy, but wastes my time too.  

Just like Jesus says in Luke 12:25, 

 And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span?

I recently looked up the word "worry" in the NASB translation. 80% of the time it was preceded with "do not." The other 20% of the time, it was paired with warnings against it. 

What happens when you worry?

1. Lost time (it's not even efficient! - luk 12:25)
2. Word becomes unfruitful (choked - mat 13:22)

What kinds of things are we getting worried about?

• being provided for (food, clothing - mat 6:31, luk 12:22, 29)
• things to come in the future (mat 6:34)
• saying the right thing  (mat 10:19, mark 13:11)
• including how to defend yourself (mark 12:11)
• worldly things (specifically money - mat 13:22)
• things that seem hard to us (luk 12:26)
• having freedom, submitting to others (called while a slave - 1 cor 7:21)

This is not so much a word of encouragement as it is a thing that when I remember it...it makes my day SO much better. 

I must first remember this valuable Word from the Lord: DO NOT WORRY. Then, I must recognize it and call it our for what it is...worry. Lastly, I must trust Jesus. So much of worry has to do with time. We must seek His Presence right now in the PRESENT moment. What is it you worry about? Seek Him right there.

End Challenge:  

Take 5 minutes right here to be alone with just you and God and ask Him to help you trust in Him and His plan for whatever it is that worries your spirit. What is something you can do today that you would normally go ahead and just do, but in which it would be better to first pray? Do that. Be with God first. Go join Mary and listen to the Lord.