Luke 12
Psalm 8
22 Then he said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than the birds? 25 Can any of you add one moment to his life-span by worrying? 26 If then you’re not able to do even a little thing, why worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 28 If that’s how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will he do for you—you of little faith? 29 Don’t strive for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don’t be anxious. 30 For the Gentile world eagerly seeks all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
31 “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be provided for you. 32 Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom. 33 Sellyour possessions and give to the poor. Make money-bags for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Luke 12:22-34
Having looked briefly at prayer yesterday, we now look at the opposite – worry.
A survey that was done in 2015 shows that people spend a large portion of their lives worrying. The average adult spends an hour and 50 minutes a day fretting about work, money, their relationships and even their appearance. That amounts to 12 hours and 53 minutes of each week or the equivalent of almost 28 days of each year. And that means a staggering four years and 11 months of the average adult lifetime is spent worrying.
It is into this situation that Jesus speaks to us in Luke 12. “Do not worry” He tells His disciples because it is indeed a waste of time! We cannot make any difference at all worrying about our lives, our relationships, what we will eat and drink, whether we will have enough water, or what we will wear. Life, eternal life, is so much more important than these things.
Those of us who are faced with the reality of these troubles, instead of worrying about it, instead of being overwhelmed by anxiety, we need to apply the antidote to worry – prayer! We pray asking God to help us shift our gaze from the troubles of this world towards the Kingdom of God (vs 31). That is: God’s rule, His reign, His sovereign action in the world to redeem and deliver a people and then at a future time to complete the work by renewing His people and the universe fully.
So, we go against the running after the things of this world and instead chase after our eternal treasure of heaven forever.