Matthew 6:25 “So my counsel is: Don’t worry about things--- food, drink, and clothes. For you already have life and a body---and they are far more important than what to eat and wear. [Living Bible translation]
Matthew 6:27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his/her life? (Or a single cubit to his/her height) [New International translation]
Matthew 6:34 [D]o not worry about tomorrow…. [New International translation] GOD will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time. [Living Bible translation]
Summary
There are a number of scriptures in the Bible about worry. Psalms 55:22 tells us to give our burdens (whatever we worry about) to the LORD. Psalms 55:22 assures us that “HE will carry them.” “HE will not permit the godly to slip or fall.” In John 14:27, JESUS promises us peace. Comforting HIS disciples, HE tells them (and us) “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” In 1Peter 5:7, we are told to “Let HIM have all your worries and cares, for HE is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.” In Psalms 37:1-3 we are told to “Fret not” because of evildoers but instead to “trust in the LORD.”
One of the longest discourses on “worry” is found in the sixth chapter of Matthew. It is interesting that this discourse occurs right after the discourse on prayer. Right after prayer about food (“Give us this day our daily bread); right after a prayer that was prefaced with there is really no need to ask GOD for anything, because HE already knows exactly what you need (because HE is GOD and ALL KNOWING), there is a discourse on worry. It was as if the writer knew that even after we prayed that instead of leaving our concerns with GOD, we would have a tendency to pick up those concerns, put them in our mental “backpacks,” swing them back over our “shoulders” and walk away from our prayer altars as burdened down with fear and worry as we had been before we bowed down to pray. So, after teaching about prayer, knowing our nature, JESUS gives us some instructions about worry.
In Matthew 6:25, we are told not to worry about “things.” Although food, clothing and drink are mentioned specifically, we could easily add hundreds of other “things”---like, cars that need repair, computers or phones that malfunction, overextended credit cards, bills, etc.
As a practical matter, Matthew 6:27 reminds us that “worry” is a useless exercise or depletion of energy. Worry “solves” nothing. It “adds” nothing to resolve the problem. It is just “negative” energy. It grows nothing. It does not grow faith or trust in GOD.
Matthew 6:34 tells us that worrying about tomorrow is actually a distraction preventing us from putting our full energy into today. Worry robs us of “present time.” Instead of living in and enjoying “the moment,” we are constantly trying to look around the next bend thinking we can prevent a collision. This kind of behavior is completely in opposition to a daily life of prayer. Like the Israelites who were given “manna” (i.e. bread of heaven) in the wilderness---bread which could not be stored, but had to be “gathered” each day (Exodus 16:15-21), we have to trust GOD on a daily basis too. This is why we pray: Give us this day our daily bread. We live one day at a time, in GOD, with GOD, in CHRIST JESUS. GOD will take care of our tomorrows!
HOW WORRY AFFECTS THE BODY
While some concern or heightened awareness can be healthy and can even motivate a person to achieve their best, excessive or chronic worry, on the other hand, can interfere with appetite, lifestyle habits, relationships, sleep and job performance. Chronic worry and anxiety can cause an outpouring of stress hormones which can have serious physical consequences, including:
- suppression of the immune system
- digestive disorders
- muscle tension
- short-term memory loss
- premature coronary artery disease
- heart attack
“How Worry Affects the Body,” www.webmd.com. Although excessive and chronic worry can cause an imbalance in the body, www.webmd.com suggests a number of ways to restore the harmony of mind and body. These include:
- Speak to your doctor. Many doctors are still making virtual on-line appointments with their patients or conducting telephone conferences.
- Exercise daily. With your doctor’s approval, begin a regular exercise program. Without question, the chemicals produced during moderate exercise can be extremely beneficial in terms of enhancing the function of the immune system
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Stress and worrying provoke some people to eat too little, others too much, or to eat unhealthy foods. Keep your health in mind when worrying entices you to partake of foods high in sugar, fat, and salt
- Learn to relax. Relaxation techniques can trigger the relaxation response -- a physiological state characterized by a feeling of warmth and quiet mental alertness. Common relaxation techniques include deep abdominal breathing, meditation, listening to calming music, and activities like yoga and tai chi.
- Meditate. Daily meditation -- instead of worrying -- may help you move beyond negative thoughts and allow you to become "unstuck" from worries that keep your body on high alert. With meditation, you purposefully pay attention to the present moment without thinking of the past or future.
- Have a strong social network. Loneliness may be as much a risk factor for disease as having high cholesterol or smoking cigarettes.
- Talk to a professional therapist. Psychological counseling can help you develop appropriate coping strategies to deal with issues that trigger excessive worrying.
One of the greatest forms of “meditation” is prayer. Many churches also have numbers you can call to speak to someone or request prayer. At Allen Temple, Rev. Lana Rice has a live “Prayer Call” in on Wednesdays from 7:00 PM – 7:30 PM. (Pacific Time). Just call 712-770-4971, access code: 312234#.
MORE STRETCHING
- NECK and CHEST STRETCH: Sit in a straight-back chair with your feet planted firmly on the floor. Interlace your fingers, and place them behind the back of your skull, with your thumbs running by your ears and down your neck. Rest the back of your head in the palm of your hands. Breathe in and slowly allows your elbow to go straight back as you sit up straight, sucking in your gut. Hold for a second, then breathe out and relax your elbows, allowing your elbows to come in. This should be an easy movement, so if your elbows only move a few inches, that’s fine. Focus on deep breathing from your abdomen. Don’t apply too much pressure to the back of your head. Let your breath determine the extent of your movement.
- GENTLE NECK STRETCH: Sit on a mat, rug, or pillow on the floor with your back against a wall. Assume the same relaxed, finger intertwined position described in Exercise #1. Again, your head is resting in the palms of your hands behind your head and the back of the fingers near the wall. Now inhale. As you exhale ease your left elbow inward so it is pointing toward the ground and your right elbow is pointing toward the ceiling. Again, this is an easy movement and there may only be movement a few inches. Take two good breathes and then return to your upright spine position. Now repeat the exercise on the other side, bringing your right elbow inward so it is pointing to the ground and your left elbow is pointing toward the ceiling. Again, take two good breathes and return to your upright position. Again, this is a gentle stretch. It should not be forced or feel painful. Do this three times, alternating sides.
- GENTLE SEATED BACK BENDS: Sit in a straight-back chair with your feet planted firmly on the floor. Bring your hand to the back of your low back with your fingers pointing down your back and your thumbs wrapped around your waist pointing toward the front of your body. Press firmly with your fingers into your low back as you inhale, raising your chin upward toward the ceiling. As you exhale, arch your back slightly (like a cat), leading with your chin downward, as you relax your fingers. Don’t allow your chin to drop down too low. Leading with your cervical spine, take a deep breath and inhale, again raising your chin toward the ceiling. Again, these are gentle, rocking movements with breath. These are gentle backbends. See, https://www.healthline.com/health/back-pain/stretches-for-seniors, if you need a visual aid.
As always, if you have an injury, are concerned about safety or you have a medical condition, speak to your personal physician about what stretches are appropriate for you. If you experience dizziness, discontinue the exercise and again consult your physician. Drink water and stay hydrated.
THINK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE
One way to not worry is to pray and then train your mind to think about something else. Philippians 4:8-9 tells us to fix our thoughts on what is true and good and right. We are to think about things that are pure and lovely. We are to dwell on the fine, good things in others, and to think about all we can praise GOD for and be glad about. Philippians 4:9 tells us to practice. (Living Bible translation)
So, today, let us begin that practice. And, let us put aside excessive and obsessive worry. Let us focus just on today. Look all around you at GOD’s GOODNESS this day! Look at the birds. Look at the trees. Look at the flowers in the fields around you. Look up at the sky, the stars, and GOD’s many wonders, this day! Look around you and see GOD this day.
GIVE GLORY to GOD this day and BE BLESSED.
