Our mentally handicapped daughter, Abby, loves the movie, The Wizard Of Oz. Needless to say, we’ve watched that film “way” too many times. But there is a scene in the movie where Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man are walking through a dark forest, and they begin to let fear continually grow as they chant, “Lions and tigers and bears! Oh, my!” They work themselves into a “fear frenzy” until the Lion jumps out in their path. (You know the story!)

Well, we’ve all experienced fears—some that are good (that protect us) and some that are bad (that destroy us). But many fears lead to worry. And what do we do when worry hits our lives?

We live in a world that gives us many reasons to worry: fuel prices, economic woes, wars, rising crime rates, education problems—just to name a few. Often these global worries give us a sense of being out of control. After all, what can one person do about the national debt or strife in the Middle East?

But there are other worries that are more personal in nature, like:

• “How can I stretch my paycheck five more days?”
• “How can I possibly do everything I’m suppose to do and remain sane?”
• “Where can I find a reliable auto mechanic at a reasonable price?”
• “What type of future will my children have?”

We could go on and on about our worries. But if we spend all of our time and energy worrying about these things, we won’t be able to enjoy the life God has given us. Jesus said that He came to give us life, and more abundantly. Worry is not a prerequisite for our lives. We can live a life that is not filled with worry.

A woman was so certain that she had a incurable liver condition that she went to the doctor to find out about it. The doctor assured her that she was perfectly healthy. He said, “And you wouldn’t even know if you had this condition, because it causes no discomfort of any kind.” “Oh, my goodness, ” gasped the lady. “Those are my symptoms exactly.”

In Matthew 6:25-34, we can read a familiar passage from the Sermon on the Mount concerning worry. In verses 25-27, Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what your will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” Continuing on in verse 31, Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ for after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Now imagine that you’re hearing this message for the first time (and you did not know that Jesus said it). What would be your first reaction?

Jesus said, “Do not worry about your life”. Trusting God is a key part of planning for tomorrow. Worrying is just a waste of time and energy.

So how do you handle worry?

In Philippians 4:4-8, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians while he was sitting in a Roman prison. He said, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 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. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report—meditate on these things.”

When in your life have you experienced something that seemed unfortunate at the time, but later you found something to rejoice in? According to the Apostle Paul, our basic attitude ought to be one of rejoicing rather than worrying. We can rejoice, not because we are blind to difficulties or because God will somehow magically take our problems away. We can rejoice because we know that we can offer all our anxieties to God in prayer. God is in control—not our circumstances. No matter how bleak it might be (and both Paul and the Philippians were in tough situations), God is in control, and He cares about us.

Let me leave you with this challenge. Where in your life do you need to relax and not worry, and how are you going to do that? Don’t answer the question in context of your entire future, but just think about how you would answer this for today or for this week.

Remember, God is in control, and He cares about YOU!