well friends I join you in all that's
coming at us right now it has engulfed my
life my world my family as it has yours
the feeling of what's coming up next and
how do we make it through figuring all
of this out looking to our leaders and
they're trying to figure it all out at
the same time and trying to bring this
crisis under control I was in Las Vegas
not to gamble we were doing a taping on
a Bible study on U-Turn how God can
turn your life around in fact we started
the Bible study off at the welcome sign
in Las Vegas and we ended the Bible
study with the goodbye sign where folk leaving
in Las Vegas and everybody was leaving
Las Vegas because it was shutting down I
found myself in a semi crisis situation
because flights were being canceled the
hotel told us we were gonna have to
leave and so we're trying to figure
stuff out on the run so I like you I'm
in the midst of this figuring things out
and I'm doing it in the midst of
teaching the Word of God isn't that how
life works sometimes you're doing
something that's consistent with the
word of God and there's chaos happening
all around you and that was simultaneous
to me here just the other day and so
we're trying to figure this thing out
when we get into situations like this
when we get into scenarios where you
know we believe in God we have a
knowledge of the Bible but then life
hits us
and not only hits us it hits everybody
around us I mean it's hitting my family
and we're talking to each other and I'm
calling and checking on them and they're
worried about their father who they
keep reminding me is now in that
vulnerable age group so they're
concerned about me and that there is the
temptation and the tendency to turn
legitimate concern into illegitimate
worry so I want to make sure we
understand the difference we ought to be
responsibly concerned because this virus
is real we ought to be concerned about
social distancing we ought to be
concerned about our loved ones being
protected we ought to be concerned about
where we go what we touch and washing
our hands because that's responsible
concern but worry is when the situation
is controlling you and you're no longer
controlling the situation and how you
respond to it worry is concern gone
haywire
it tells you you can't sleep now I'm
gonna keep you up it tells you I'm gonna
make your heart palpitate it tells you
you're gonna sweat now it begins to
dictate your well-being when that happens
you've crossed over from legitimate
responsible concern to illegitimate worry
if God allows for concern he does not
want us to worry because we have a father
now we talk about God but when Jesus
talked about God in the context of worry
he like he did in Matthew 6 he says
don't worry don't worry don't worry he
said three times and then he says
because you have a father and if you can
think about God now in the midst of this
chaos as a father
yes he's all-powerful he's all that but
he's also daddy you can take a deep
breath because that sense of his care in
the midst of crisis brings a calming
sense into your life into your emotions
and it brings down fear you know in that
same passage he makes a rather
convicting statement he says oh ye of
little faith because you've turned
concern into worry do not let and I'm
talking to me too because not only do I
have me my family but thousands of
people in our congregation and then the
community that we're here to serve and
then ministering even more broadly I can
get a little shaky but Jesus told me
don't do that don't let it go there
because you have a father I just want
you to know that this father that we
have loves us cares about us and even
though he's allowed this crisis because
it couldn't happen nothing happens if it
doesn't go through his fingers first to
look to the spiritual in the midst of
the medical and the physical what is God
saying to you individually what is he
saying to your family
what is he saying to our nation and even
our world he is speaking by the way and
the basic thing he's saying is I need
more of your undivided attention you've
wandered too far from me now I'm
changing your habits I'm making you
talk to people I'm making everybody
listen to the same thing folk
talking about prayer we're talking about
prayer before crisis has a way of
producing caring so people are caring
about one another asking about one
another we get news reports of people
trying to help one another people are
talking about unity and can we all get
along now because crisis has a way of
creating something that the absence of
crisis does not do because you can
become pretty independent when nothing
is wrong so what I want to come out of
this for me and for you and for us is to
raise the question God what are you
saying I need to adjust it in my life
because I've been forced now to sit home
I've been forced to talk to family
members that I haven't been engaged with
yet when courage to reach out to other
church members who need a word
or some some relative that I haven't
called in a while let me make sure they
are ok they have enough food crisis is
an opportunity for caring not for fearing
don't worry, why? you got a daddy and your
daddy says if you put him first in the
midst of a situation that will cause you
to worry you'll see that He can meet
your needs so do me a favor why do you have
to adjust your life on a dime because
things are changing on the dime remember
this is a time to be concerned it's not
a time to worry