There is no need to worry

In the days of Elijah, there was a terrible drought in Israel. 1 Kings 17 shares the story with us. There was a widow and her son, and all they had was enough provisions for one more meal. She planned to cook and eat that meal at the right timing to prolong their life for as long as possible. This woman was obviously a firm believer in God. Suddenly a man showed up at her door and asked her for food. She told him her situation and proceeded to do as he asked, thereby putting herself at risk for a stranger. As a result, God worked all things out for her and her son.

In current times we have many charismatic preachers leading the church. Many are concerned with having a big congregation at the expense of accurate teaching. Then, on the other hand, we have the well-educated theologians who sometimes teach the Word over the heads of the congregation to the point they do not fully understand the message. They are then left to themselves to form their opinions, which vary from person to person. I have actually witnessed that on many occasions and was shocked to hear the different interpretations from members who listened to the same sermon.

The Word of God shows us that God is not asleep. Whenever people go too far from God, He intervenes and brings destruction so that the people may repent and turn back to Him. This has been going on for centuries.

In the early days of humankind, man fell from perfection and became evil. The early chapters of Genesis share this with us. In Genesis 6, humanity came to a point where they gave no thought to God. God responded with the great flood. You will think that man would have learned from that. Sometime after the flood, the people again departed from God in the Tower of Babel, and God intervened.

In the time of King Zedekiah, the Israelites were handed over to the Babylonians because they had turned away from God. God always has a plan to bring us back to Him when we stray too far. Jesus also warned the people about their hearts turning from God. In Matthew 24, He told them the Temple at Jerusalem would be destroyed, and not a stone would be left standing. In AD 70, the Temple was destroyed, and a remnant was also scattered around the earth.

God is always watching. He uses incremental judgments to give us warnings and signs, but we ignore them and continue on the path to destruction. We can often forget that God is in control. He is merciful and forgiving, but when we do not listen, He will chastise us and bring us back so that all would not be lost. Is there a need then to be worried about the wickedness that is enveloping the earth? I don’t believe there is a need to worry.

Jesus told us what to do. When we have troubles and concerns, we should lay our burdens at His feet, and He will take care of them for us. So why do we worry instead of obeying? If we obey, then there is no need to worry. We are told in Matthew 6:27 that worrying will not add a single hour to our lives. In other words, worrying does not solve problems. It only adds to them because worrying produces stress, which leads to illness and sometimes death. So why worry?

Jesus commissioned us to teach the Gospel and heal the sick among us. Do we really do that? Is preaching consistently about wealth the Gospel that Jesus talked about? Jesus told us what the Gospel is in Matthew 10:5-8, and what to do. Wealth is not a bad thing, but it should not be our focus. Jesus said to seek first the Kingdom of God in Matthew 6:33. When we do that, we become empowered for such a time as the current pandemic.

In Titus 2, He also told us how we should deliver the good news with sincerity and gravity. Our first response in times of crisis should be to pray. God has an appointed time for everything. We just need to do our parts and let God do His. In case you missed it, I will repeat it. Our role is to be obedient to God’s Word and directives, teach God’s Word, heal the sick, and pray for God’s intervention in the nation and our lives. If we do these things sincerely, then there is no need to worry.

Instead, we disobey, and our first response is to worry. Forgetting that worry does not solve anything. Our world was disrupted with the introduction of the COVID-19 virus. We responded by worrying instead of praying. For those that prayed, some were selfish prayers. I witnessed persons praying in a congregation, asking God to remove the virus so they could get back to enjoying life. I have also heard similar praying on television and social media. I have heard very few people praying for God to reveal His Will in this crisis.

It is vital to get back to God’s work and carry it out as He directed. When we do that, I believe that the world will respect us, and the rules and regulations that keep coming up will be minimal. The world governments will respect us because they will see the power among us. A power they cannot understand, but they fear.

There is no need to worry. God has told us what we need to do. I want to encourage you to get back to the Word and do those things listed above. When we do them, we will not only see a change in our personal lives but also in the world we live in. The world is looking to us for answers, but they are not getting the answers their hearts told them they should receive. Instead, they are seeing the people who should have the answers worrying just like them.

We need to stop worrying and get back to being the light for the world.