Title Don't Worry (Matthew 6:25-34)
How can we be free from worry as we live with the many problems of immigrant life? But the Lord commands us not to worry. The Lord Himself, who came among us and experienced all our worries, commands us to do this because we know that God lives and cares for us. We cannot prevent anxiety from entering our lives, but in order not to live under pressure, we must learn how to overcome it and become free.
What is the tremendous spiritual damage caused by anxiety? First, it causes us to lose our sense of vocation. If we get caught up in our concerns about eating and drinking, we lose the more important sense of calling in life. The privilege of tasting God's glory and building his kingdom is our calling. Solomon, who lived in pursuit of wealth and glory, at the end of his life discovered that it was all in vain, and confessed that fearing God and fulfilling his will should be the goal of life. (Ecclesiastes 12:13) When we live worrying about earning a little more even though there is a possibility of discovering the tremendous value and talents that God has given us and producing fruit, the sense of vocation disappears.
Second, we waste our lives. Worrying can't change the outcome, and worrying about it is just a waste. There was a time when I was concerned because of the complex about how I looked when I was a teenager. So nothing has changed. Don't be sad that you can't change the outcome and don't lament over the irreversible. Rather, we must listen to the voice that God, who created all things and is the ruler of history, will use us.
Third, it destroys our evidence. It is natural for Gentiles who do not know God to be concerned. However, the disciples who know God must look at them with the eyes of faith and become people who testify of God in this world. Teaching a young son to swim is no different in shallow or deep water as long as the father holds him. Faith is the realization that without a father, shallow water is no problem, and with a father, deep water is no problem. If you are afraid of deepening, how can you say that God lives? Therefore, our difficult situation is a good opportunity to test and testify that we are really holding on to the Lord.
To overcome anxiety, we need three Fs: Father, Faith, and First. First, I can overcome anxiety because of my Father who loves me. The Father who loves us takes care of us and takes care of us. Sometimes we have to look around and realize how the Father works. If you take care of a common bird so that it does not die of starvation, will you not give us everything we need for the sake of those who spared our lives by sacrificing his only begotten Son?
Second, you can overcome your worries by trusting your father. To rebuke the disciples for having little faith is to rebuke them for not trusting in the Lord. It does not depend on how much the child holds on to the father, but on how much the father holds on to the child. To believe the words of Romans 8:38-39 is to trust God. Where God exists, a weak spider's web is like a river wall, but where God is not, a river wall is like a fragile spider's web. Even if our circumstances make us feel discouraged and anxious, it is trusting our Father to turn around and resolve to obey God without being weighed down by the circumstances. (Psalm 42:11)
Third, there is a country that must be pursued first. Instead of remaining passively defensive, you need to be active and look for things to do. The Lord tells us to do it first. Even if your worries and anxieties are not resolved, you must find the Lord's work and do it. Chickens will lose consciousness and become paralyzed when the hawk approaches from the air. However, in the case of a hen, if there is a chick to protect, it even fights with a hawk. When there is a sense of duty, there is no room for anxiety to seep in. What God has given us is not a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7) The Lord, who conquered all fears by conquering death, wants to raise us from anxiety and use us as proclaimers of His glory. I bless you in the name of the Lord that you will be used by the Lord in this way.