Have you ever heard preachers talk about times where they knew they weren’t as prepared for a conversation, event, or sermon and they walked away from that situation feeling like it went terrible, only to be humbled by the fact that God used their understood inability in that moment to minister to people? Or have you heard them speak of the opposite, where the preacher felt adequately, if not over prepared, for a situation, only to encounter a disinterested group of people?
As a minister, though not for a large season of life, I have had moments such as both of those mentioned above. However, I have yet, to my recollection, ever had one of those nights where I woke up, was thinking about something related to church/ministry, and could not go back to sleep.
Which brings me to the present.
As I sit here (on Micah’s couch…or at least in his house, eating an organic pop-tart), I can not go back to sleep. As I have posted, I am in my second week of J-terms, which is a one-week intensive class. That generally is a recipe for little sleep, a fair amount of work, and a tired mind at the end of each day. This week is no exception. Today, I was in class for 8 hours, the library for the next 4 hours, ate supper at 9:30 and fell asleep sometime after 10.
Then I woke up.
This coming Sunday and Wednesday (Jan 11 and Jan 14) are big days in the life of ministries for which God has entrusted me. I don’t mean that to say that I am doing great or large things at all. God has brought families to Gallatin Campus and confirmed in their hearts that our church campus is the place, for this season of their lives, where He wants them to be. It’s great. It’s humbling when you think about it. Why our campus? Why in Gallatin, TN? But those are questions for another time.
What I woke up thinking about is the fact that the two days mentioned above are important because of schedule changes and people are going to doing some things for the first time. Couple that with the fact that some people that had been serving in one area, no longer are, and we still have some needs for adults to serve.
Worrying.
We all do it. Not even the calmest, most collected among us can escape it. We too often try to do things in our own strength. Failure usually finds its way to our doorstep not too long after that. These past few hours, I’ve been reminded of two passages that speak to worrying. First, the words of Christ:
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
In Matthew 6:25-34, Christ tells His followers “not to be anxious” about their lives or tomorrow. While we certainly have things that concern us, garner our attention, and yes, cause us to worry, we must stop, and remind ourselves that obviously, God our Father is aware of the situation. He knows the resolution, and He knows what we NEED. I think it’s fair to say that often we worry about the frivolous matters of life and care little about the bedrock of our own spiritual stability. We become enamored with trivial matters of life and yet, wonder why our lives feel empty, purposeless, and fleeting. If not us, then certainly we know people who feel this way. Christ COMMANDS His followers to not worry, to not be anxious.
Now the words of the apostle Paul (Philippians 4:4-7):
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Here, Paul echoes the words of Christ, urging the believers in Philiipi to not be anxious. I find it very interesting the progression that Paul sets up in this passage. (1) Rejoice in the Lord always…(2) Don’t be anxious…(3) Make your requests known to God…(4) the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds.
We often hear about the peace of God that passes all understanding, which it does. But I can’t remember hearing that it is connected to rejoicing in the Lord and making our requests known to God. Now, it might be couched in terms like “giving it over to Jesus”, which is, I guess, somewhat accurate.
But Paul seems to emphasize something greater: We always have reason to rejoice in the LORD. Always = Always, for those of you that need scientific or mathematical proof (like me). In those moments in life where we struggle with that rejoicing, boldly approach the throne and be open before the LORD. It seems from the words of the Bible that when we do that, following God’s Word, worrying will give way to a peace that no one can surpass nor often explain.
Where does that leave me now?
I know I shouldn’t be worried about falling asleep in class tomorrow, that’s for sure. 
-jmj
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