Read: Luke 12:1-34

By: Pastor Travis Stamper

“Worry is like a rocking chair-it keeps you moving but doesn’t get you anywhere.”

– Corrie Ten Boom

Every once in a while, Jesus says something that is so simple, but so profound, that if I sit and think about it a while, it can really change me. Luke 12:25-26 is one of those statements. He says “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”

The one thing this verse really changes in me is my perspective. For a lot of my life, I thought I had more control than I really do. I didn’t understand that my health won’t be here forever. I didn’t understand that I can’t control whether some sickness hits my family. I didn’t understand that no matter what I do, I can’t stop time and loved ones from passing away. There are a lot of things that I just can’t do. But one thing I can do is worry! You know what I mean, I just listed several things that I have no control over, but that doesn’t mean I can’t worry about them, and I can worry about more than just those things!

I can worry about bills, school, and retirement. I can worry about politics, the government, and whether or not social security will be around when I retire. I can worry about my kids, whether or not they will grow up and still love and serve the Lord! I can worry about almost anything! But here’s one thing I can’t do: I can’t ever change something by worrying about it. I can’t! There is nothing that worrying will do to change things, except bring more stress into my life. But there is something I can do about everything that has real power to change things, and that’s pray.

Listen to this verse from Philippians 4:6 NLT “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

What if your initial response to things that could make you worry, was to pray. To simply entrust them to the God who is able to actually change things? What if instead of being anxious and stressed out, you would just cast your cares on the one who cares for you and really trust Him with it!?

I have a challenge for you for the rest of this Lent season, if you’re willing. All I’m asking you to do is this: You aren’t allowed to complain about anything if you haven’t prayed about it. That’s the challenge! No complaining unless you’ve prayed. So if it’s a bad situation at work, don’t come home and unload on your spouse or a friend and complain, not if you haven’t given it to God first.

My hope is that in doing this you will see God at work in those situations that could cause you to worry or complain, and also that it will cause you to worry and complain less, because if you have truly given these situations to God in prayer you will find that His peace, that goes beyond even our understanding, will guard your heart against the fears and hurts that cause us to worry and complain.