Do not worry, because God is your father!
Do you really believe that? When I was a youngster, I worked in an orphanage in Houston, Texas. Orphans have an insecurity that I don’t think they every really shake. They’re constantly looking for a father figure to fill that vacancy in their hearts. During the Second World War there was an orphanage in Europe where the children were happy and well adjusted, while the children in other orphanages were tormented. The U.S. government sent an inspection team to find out what made this orphanage different. They found a grandmother and grandfather who had taken in all these children. At night they would roll up one slice of bread and put it in the hand of each child. They put them to bed with a good night kiss and told them that everything would be all right tomorrow. Clutching that piece of bread, reassured that they were loved and cared for, those children could sleep through the bombs falling, while children in the other orphanages cried and screamed day and night.
That is a metaphor for our lives. God the Father has taken this loaf of bread and placed it in your hand, and He said, “I will be your burden bearer. I will provide every crumb of bread you need to eat. Everything you ever thought you would have need of, I will give it to you. I am the God of all hope. I want you to look to tomorrow with optimism. If people are running you out of town, get in from of the group and make it look like a parade, because you’re my child. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, because I’m you father. You’re not a spiritual orphan.
Another reason not to worry is that worry absolutely produces nothing.
Jesus said worrying cannot add one cubit to your stature Matthew 6:27. A cubit is about 18 inches, roughly the distance from the tip of your finger to your elbow. Now if I could all 18 inches to my height by worrying, I’d start worrying right now. That would make me 7’2. I’d sign up with the Spurs and be part of the ‘dream team.” But that’s not going to happen. The Greek word translated stature is helikia, which can also mean “length.” So Jesus asked, “Which of you by worrying can lengthen your life?” You cannot.
Americans are doing everything possible to lengthen to lengthen their lives. They’re taking all sorts of vitamins that you can get from natural foods. But that’s not good enough, so they’re taking mega doses of vitamin pills. They jog. They jog in the rain, they jog in the sleet, they jog in the snow; they won’t go to church if it’s overcast, but they’ll jog into a hurricane. Exercise is great, but it won’t necessarily lengthen your life.
The Great Physician, the master architect of the body, said this machine is not designed to worry because the manufacturer has taken care of every need that it will ever have.
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