Do Not Be Anxious -- Then and Now

 

I assumed the reason for the title of this blog would be in my first posting, back on June 15, 2009.  It is titled: “I Want to be Happy”.  Reading that posting, I found it never mentions the reason for the blog’s title, but the words seem to have implied it.  It basically says that when things are going terrible, bundle up your troubles and take them out to the curb like garbage, and Jesus will come and take them away.  You need to trust in Him, and not be anxious, especially in difficulties beyond your control.

I actually titled this blog “Do Not Be Anxious” because I had just (unexpectedly) retired to take care of mom, and I knew that many of my (now former) co-workers were worried about losing their jobs to downsizing.  The title was for me, and them, in our times of trouble.  This morning’s Scripture reading had Samuel saying in the night: “Speak Lord, your servant is listening,” and in it I saw a Scripture example reenforcing what I meant by the blog title.

In recent months, I’ve seen many people worried about this world, their world --- that includes my worries also.  I’ve seen some who have said “God told me this or that will happen; this is the end-times.”  Many of those people had connected their thoughts to some Scripture passage, and so it seemed to me that those might be words God might say.  Perhaps they were prophets?  (Unfortunately, I forwarded some of those notes.)  Last night, as I prayed on the internet with a large group of people, I felt good in the community prayer, until at the end the prayer leader mentioned some details of what we were praying for --- detailed things he “knew” were going to happen, and when.  That’s why Samuel’s prayer struck me this morning.  Samuel is asking God for His will; much of the world today, however, assumes His will or is praying for their will to be done.  It might be that God and man have the same goals --- good things --- but radically different means of achieving those goals.  God’s way is best; I don’t think we can assume we know it in detail.

Samuel’s prayer is not asking God to do what Samuel wanted done, it was asking God “What do You want me to do?  Tell me Your will, and I will try to do it.”  That should be our means to good ends also, our first choice of what actions we might take or pray for:  asking God what He would have us do.  And if something is beyond our ability to do (like fix the world’s problems), then we should trust in God, and His Mercy to help us in our troubles.

Jesus, I trust in You.  O Jesus, I surrender myself to You.  Take care of everything.

And then, do not be anxious. You can’t make all this garbage go away ----- nor can you assume a thoroughly worn out house is salvageable; perhaps it needs to be torn down and a new one built ---  one we will love so much we will forget about the old one.

Most of us can do little to fix problems of the world today, but we can pray (and perhaps fast) for God’s mercy in taking care of them.  And we needn’t pray how He should fix them; He knows the best way.  We just need to trust.