SO, I'VE BEEN ASKING MYSELF THIS QUESTION LATELY,
AND I WONDER IF ANY OF YOU'VE ASKED THIS.
WHAT WOULD LIFE BE LIKE
IF I DIDN'T SPEND SO MUCH OF IT WORRYING?
HOW MUCH TIME WOULD I ACTUALLY SAVE
IF I WEREN'T BUSY THINKING ABOUT WHAT MIGHT POSSIBLY GO WRONG?
ONE OF MY FRIENDS TOLD ME RECENTLY
THAT I AM A PROFESSIONAL WORRIER.
I CAN DREAM UP ALL KINDS OF POSSIBLE SCENARIOS
OF THINGS THAT MIGHT HAPPEN, BUT HAVEN'T HAPPENED.
BUT THEN SOMETIMES THEY'RE THE THINGS
THAT DO GO WRONG, RIGHT?
I'VE REALLY WORRIED FOR THE PAST COUPLE YEARS
OVER FRIENDS WHO HAVE BEEN SICK
OR BEEN JUST SUPER SAD DURING THIS PANDEMIC SEASON.
AND ALSO, SINCE I TRAVEL TO DIFFERENT PLACES
TO PLAY MUSIC AND SPEAK,
I'VE BEEN REALLY ANXIOUSLY AWAITING
THINGS TO GET BACK TO NORMAL,
OR TO SEE IF THEY'RE GOING TO GET BACK TO NORMAL.
DURING THIS TIME, THERE IS A VERSE
THAT I KEEP GOING BACK TO THAT REALLY DOES HELP ME
WHEN I START TO FEEL ANXIOUS.
IT'S FROM PAUL'S LETTER TO THE PHILIPPIANS WHICH,
BY THE WAY, HE WAS WRITING FROM PRISON.
AND IT'S ALL ABOUT JOY, WHICH KIND OF BLOWS MY MIND.
BUT IN PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7 HE SAYS,
"DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING,
"BUT IN EVERYTHING, WITH PRAYER AND PETITION AND THANKSGIVING,
"MAKE YOUR REQUESTS KNOWN TO GOD.
"AND THE PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING
"WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS."
AND YOU KNOW WHAT I DISCOVERED ABOUT THIS VERSE
THAT IS JUST, LIKE, SO BLOWING MY MIND?
HE'S NOT SAYING, "OKAY, JUST STOP WORRYING.
"JUST DON'T DO IT ANYMORE."
HE'S SAYING, "WHEN YOU START GOING DOWN THAT ROAD TO WORRY,
"HERE'S WHAT TO DO."
AND I LOVE, AND I'VE REALLY DRAWN SO MUCH HOPE
FROM WHAT HE SAYS TO DO.
HE SAYS, FIRST YOU BRING IT TO GOD.
AND I'M LEARNING IN MY OWN LIFE
THIS IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT.
WHEN I INVITE GOD INTO MY ANXIETY,
I'M GIVING UP CONTROL OF IT.
I CAN ACTUALLY LET HIM HAVE IT,
LET HIM DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, LET HIM CARRY IT.
THERE'S A QUOTE FROM MARTIN LUTHER,
WHO YOU KNOW LIVED IN THE 1500S, AND HE SAYS,
"PRAY AND LET GOD WORRY."
I LOVE THAT SO MUCH. SO WE PRAY.
WE BRING OUR REQUESTS AND WE LET HIM WORRY,
BUT THEN WE ALSO BRING GRATITUDE.
AND ONE THING THAT'S REALLY STARTED TO
CHANGE MY PERSPECTIVE RECENTLY IS, AT THE END OF EACH DAY
I LIKE TO MAKE A LIST OF ALL THE THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR.
THERE ARE THINGS, LITTLE AND BIG THINGS,
THINGS I'VE SEEN GOD DO THROUGHOUT THE DAY,
AND I HAVE TO SAY,
SOMETIMES I DON'T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME FOR THIS.
SOMETIMES I CAN'T THINK OF MUCH
WHEN I START WRITING THAT LIST.
BUT AS I WRITE, THINGS COME TO MIND.
I'M TOTALLY BLIND AND I LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY,
SO SOMETIMES I THANK GOD FOR THE REALLY LITTLE THINGS,
LIKE, "THANK YOU, LORD, THAT I CROSSED
"ALL THOSE EIGHT LANES OF TRAFFIC
"ON THAT REALLY BUSY STREET,
"AND I DID IT SUCCESSFULLY. HALLELUJAH!"
BUT WHAT I'M DISCOVERING IS THAT THIS PRACTICE OF THANKFULNESS
HELPS ME WHEN I START TO GET ANXIOUS,
BECAUSE I REMEMBER THE WAYS THAT
GOD TOOK CARE OF THINGS THIS MORNING,
AND YESTERDAY AND LAST WEEK, AND IT GIVES ME CONFIDENCE
THAT HE'LL TAKE CARE OF THINGS TONIGHT AND TOMORROW, TOO.
AND WHEN I ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT,
THEN JUST LIKE PAUL SAID, HIS PEACE STARTS TO BE REAL TO ME.
I START TO SEE, OH, HE'S GOOD.
HE'S ALWAYS HERE WORKING WITH ME.
HE'S ALWAYS DOING SOMETHING EVEN WHEN I CAN'T SEE IT.
SO MY ENCOURAGEMENT TO ALL OF US FOR THIS MOMENT IS,
PRAY AND LET GOD WORRY.