Slideshow image

MUSIC BLOG

10-03-2024

What? Me Worry?

This little phrase was popular in the middle part of the last century, due in part to a comic character, Alfred E. Newman, a 50-year-old icon by the time it premiered in Mad Magazine.  Mad took the picture, gave it a new name, Alfred E. Newman, and positioned it against the angst and fear of cold war America.  What? Me Worry? Was in defiance to the political upheaval of the 1050’s and the fear of nuclear attack that lasted through the 1960’s.  Funny story, it’s also the charge to every Christian.

The bible is clear when it comes to worry.  Isaiah, David, Jesus, Paul, James . . . the list is certainly star-studded as far a the greatest of the greats. 

Jesus:

Matthew 6:34

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own".

Matthew 11:28-30

A popular passage for depression and other afflictions, reading, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest".

 

Paul:

Philippians 4:6-7

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus".

 

Isaiah:

Isaiah 41:10

A commonly used verse for anxiety and fear, reminding us that God will give us the strength to fight anxiety.

 

David:

Psalm 94:18-19

"When I felt my feet slipping, you came with your love and kept me steady. And when I was burdened with worries, you comforted me and made me feel secure".

 

James:

James 1:5-6

This passage says that when asking for help, one should pray boldly and believingly, without doubt. It also says that people who "worry their prayers" are like waves on the sea, blown and tossed by the wind

James 4:13-16

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 [a]Yet you do not know [b]what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. 15 [c]Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your [d]arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

 

This is just a smattering of the most common scriptures.  The Bible tells us not to worry over 300 times.  WOW!

 

So how do we apply that biblical truth?  What should we do instead?  What’s the antidote to worry?  When we cannot bear the loneliness of our lives when our marriage goes awry, when our kids rebel, when we lose our job, when the stock market crashes when we get sick, when pain and death are our constant companions, what do we do?

 

Most of us know what to do, it’s the doing bit that is so difficult.  Paul said it well and maybe said it best in his letter to the Philippians.  Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus".  

 

According to the Bible, prayer and thanksgiving are an antidote to worry and fear: 

  • Prayer: Prayer can help people focus on God, remember God's promises, and recognize that God has ultimate power over their lives. 
  • Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving involves thanking God for all the good things he has done in your life. 
  • Supplication: Supplication involves asking God for help. 

 

God is with us at all times, even we we choose to shut Him out.  If He is present then He is fully present, meaning He’s not present as a spectator.  He is present in all His power and Glory, in all His wisdom and strength.  He is not present to criticize or beat the downtrodden, but to offer a way to get up and get out of whatever situation you find yourself. Stop and consider that truth.  God is with __________ (say your name here).  God loves  ___________________ (again insert your name, say it out loud). God is able to help ___________________ (you know the drill, say your name)

When we let God into our darkness, even the dark becomes light.  God shines his hope, His truth, and His power into the darkest parts of our lives so that we give glory to God in this dark, dying, and desperate world.

 

Thanks to a friend who challenged me to write a blog about worry.  I hope it encouraged you like it did me!

 

Blessings

Marty