Can You See the Sun?

“I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.” Mark Twain

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” Corrie Ten Boom

Isn’t it true, we often worry about things that have not even happened yet or things we have no control over; those what-ifs of life? Preparing for tomorrow and having a plan in place in case a what-if scenario does occur is a good thing, but excessive worry about those things steals your energy, strength, causes you to lose focus, and is just not healthy. Jesus speaks directly to this kind of needless worry.

In Matthew chapters 5-7 we find the Sermon on the Mount, a series of Jesus’s teachings In vv.6:25-26 He tells us this, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

Jesus then gives a similar comparison to the flowers of the field (vv.28-30) and ends this teaching with these words, “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (v.34).   

Just know that whatever happens today, good or bad, easy or hard, will not catch God off guard. God is not surprised by what happens today nor will He be taken by surprise tomorrow either. So, trust that God is in control, and regardless of how overcast and cloudy today is, do not let worry overwhelm or consume you. Focus on the sun that is ready to burst out from behind the clouds.

The Psalms are often a good place to look to find solace in your time of distress. Did you know that the Hebrew word for psalm is “tehillim,” which means “to praise”? Let me share three verses found in the Psalms:

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears” (34:4).

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (46:1). Make this one personal; change “our refuge” to “my refuge.”

“When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations [compassion, comfort] delight my soul” (94:19).

Can you see the sun?