New Hope Daily SOAP: Luke 12

Pastor Vicki Harrison

To read this text, go to:  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+12&version=NKJV

Luke 12:22-25,  Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 

I have this Scripture hanging in my bathroom.  It’s one of those texts I need to read over and over again. 

What is it about us and worry?  I have struggled with worry and anxiety for most of my life!  I finally had to admit to myself that worrying is lack of trust in God.  After all, God loves me and  God has promised to care for me.  He cares for the birds of the fields; certainly he cares for me!  This doesn’t mean things will always go my way.  Nor does it absolve me of responsibility in life.  I still need to work hard and get things done.  But I can know that I know that God is with me and God wants to take care of my needs.

For me, I’ve found the antidote to worry is prayer.  Pray often, pray fervently, pray sincerely.  I go through a visual exercise of giving my worry to Jesus.  Sometimes I hand it right to Jesus.  Other times, I lay it at the foot of the cross.  Then, I have to make the decision to not pick it back up.  It takes discipline to give our worry to Jesus; I’ve had to practice this many times.  But it’s life-changing.  When I give my worry to Jesus, I know it’s in good hands.  And worry no longer steals my joy and monopolizes my thinking.  I am free, knowing the God’s got this. 

Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, Take my worries and cares.  I give them to you right now, today.  There are no better and stronger hands to carry my burdens than yours.  In your name, Amen.