Don't Worry, Be Happy

James 4:14: "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."

Why do we worry about the future? I worry because I have fear that future events will not play out according to my plan, on my time schedule and with my intended results. How many of us worry about what will happen five or ten years from now? As harsh as it reads, James' admonishment that we don't even know what will happen tomorrow is so true. We have absolutely no idea what will happen tomorrow. And for that matter what will happen in the next ten seconds. And yet, here I sit, worried and anxious about how I'm going to support my family in 2009.

But why is worrying so bad? Doesn't worrying lead to planning and planning to prudence? Doesn't worrying make us cautious and therefore prevent us from making rash and even stupid decisions? At the heart of worry is a lack of confidence in the future. We worry about our kids because we can't be certain that they will be healthy and safe all the time. We worry about our finances because we don't have complete job security. We worry about our health because we know that illnesses and disease are mostly a matter of when not if.

But the God of creation has promised us in his Word that we do not need to worry, that he will provide all that we need. I think we need to remember two things with regard to God's promises of provision. First, a lot of us want assurances that extend beyond just today. We want long term heavenly contracts from God that promise us such and such for the duration of our lives. But God never promises multi year contracts. He says he will provide each day's manna. And why just each day's? Our God wants us to rely on him and nothing else, each and every day. How many of us would continue to seek God's presence if he sent us a contract that said, "Dear XYZ, I, the God of the universe, will provide everything that you need for the next 10 years." I think a lot of us would live our lives as we want and turn to God in 9.9 years as it comes time to renew that contract. God wants us to know him constantly, not once every 10 years. Second, a lot of us want God's assurances of provision to mean we will live a great, comfortable life. Yes, God promises to clothe and feed and shelter us. But the heart of his promise is to provide all that we need for our salvation and spiritual well being. I know that will disappoint many people, but how much more important is your spiritual well being than your physical? Mark 8:36 reads, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" The world tells us that this life here and now is all that matters, and so we worry to no end. God tells us that this life is but a blink of an eye compared to eternity, and therefore we do not need to worry because our eternity has been taken care of once and for all.

Worrying reveals that our hearts are not fully on God. More than that, worries crowd our heart and push God into a small corner. Our hearts yearn for assurances of security and plenty in this life. But we all know from experience that what our heart desires of this world we can never have. How many of us have zero worries, no matter how perfect we think our lives are? We worry because our hearts are divided and not focused solely on God. Only when we let God into our hearts and he pushes out all the competing desires of our hearts can we live a life that has less and less worry.