Monday, August 16, 2021

"Resign as General Manager of the Universe"

Psalm 78.23-25 NIV

Worry by Andrew Matthews
“Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens; he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven. Men ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.”

This psalm tells of abundant provision from the hand of God. God’s provision is as much a matter of faith as it is a matter of fact. As far as I recall, I’ve never unwillingly missed a meal. It would be safe to say that God commanded “the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens” and “rained down manna” for me to eat each and every day of my entire life. He has literally sent me and my loved ones “all the food they could eat” just like the Bible promised. So why do I still worry about God’s provision?

I once heard a pastor preach, “Worry is incompatible with common sense.” To that truism I give hearty assent. Still, I worry. My behavior makes no sense. Worry is not logical. 

Every day God provides for me and (paradoxically) most days I worry about it. I have, on occasion, even considered worry to be my personal obligation. In a weird way, this logic almost works... ‘If I don’t worry I will become lackadaisical and fail to do what it takes to acquire the provision I need.’ Now there’s a twist! I’ve apparently decided my daily routine of worry, not God’s daily and proven acts of love, assures me and my family of what we need to survive. I remind myself of Charles Schulz who once said, “I’ve developed a new philosophy… I only dread one day at a time.”

Jesus commanded us not to worry…

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’
or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your
heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore
do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Jesus, Matthew 6.30-34 NIV

I hereby resign, on this very day, as general manager of my little universe. God always has provided (a statement of fact) and He always will (a statement of faith).
______________

The wonderful cartoon at the top of this post is by the amazing author, cartoonist, and internationally acclaimed speaker Andrew Matthews. His books have been translated into 33 languages and sell in 60 countries. Mr. Matthews has spoken to more than 500 corporations and over a million people. Check out his site at http://www.seashell.com.au.

5 comments:

One Sided said...

When does planning make the switch to worry?

davescriven said...

Great question One-Sided. I frankly am not sure. I guess its a matter of being led by the Holy Spirit as much as possible. The fine line between worry and responsible planning is likely a function of prayer and honest submission to the Lord. What do you think?

dave

One Sided said...

It has something to do with knowing you have done what you can and releasing the rest to be handled by God.
Recently I had a desire to help another family close to me my heart wanted to help even to the financial detriment of my household. My darling wife calmed me and reminded me that we had done all we could and the rest was in God's hands. It was no twho hours later when the family I wanted so to help called Praising God for providing for their need.
Sometimes it is hard to know when to let go.

Larry

davescriven said...

How true!

cerita anak kost said...

sometimes we must get away worry