From The Pastor’s Desk:
Not Worry
It happens every once in a while. I try not to look at the clock, but I can’t resist. 12:52am. “O.K. If I fall asleep now, I can still get almost 6 hours of sleep. That’s not bad.” I roll over onto my other side, I flip the pillow, and screw my eyes shut. A bit later, I dare to glance at the clock again. Maybe I slept a little… Nope. It’s only 1:16. “C’mon man,” I tell myself, “you’ve got to sleep.”
But it’s another night of tossing and turning. Trying to shut off my brain. Chasing after rest that isn’t going to come.
I wish I could tell you I spend those sleepless nights in prayer. That those are the times I’m getting especially close to God, meditating on scripture, delighting in His presence. But I’m not. When those sleepless nights come, more often than not, it’s because I’m consumed with worry.
Some problem or concern is on my mind. Something with one of my kids, a tough conversation I have to have at work, a sermon that isn’t finished. I’m anxious, I’m afraid, I’m nervous, I’m worried. I know I shouldn’t worry. I know that worrying isn’t going to “add a single hour to [my] life” (Matthew 6:27). But still, there it is, filling my mind, and I can’t shut it off.
Our word “worry” comes from an Old High German word, wurgen, that literally means “to strangle, constrict, choke.” And that pretty much nails how worry feels. When I’m worried it strangles the life out of me. There’s nothing else I can think about.
The Bible recognizes that we worry. 1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” It doesn’t say that you’ll never be anxious, only that when you are you should cast it on God. Feeling anxious is more or less normal. All of us have something to worry about pretty much every day. The question is, when those worries come, what do we do with them?
Here are two suggestions. First, do what you can. When a problem or a concern comes your way, the wise thing is do what you can to deal with it.
It does not demonstrate a lack of faith in God to do your part in fixing the problem. For example, if you are out of work and trusting God to provide a job; it’s still necessary for you to fill out a resume and respond to want ads. If you are single and hoping God will lead you to a nice girl; it’s still a good idea to take a shower and wear some nice clothes and get out of the house and mingle with some single ladies. If you are broke and
hoping God will help you get out of debt; you have to do your part by cutting up the credit card and putting together a budget.
Wisdom is all about doing the simple, often small, obvious things—and doing them consistently. Proverbs 9:12 says: “If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you.” One of the best ways to beat worry is to do something about the problem.
But then, second, you need to leave the rest to God. Once you’ve done what you can, you need to trust God to take care of the rest. The New Living Translation of Philippians 4:6-7 says: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
When feelings of worry come your way, think of it as an alarm reminding you to pray. Tell God what you’re worried about, and remember that He is big enough and smart enough to handle any problem. And once you’ve given Him a burden, don’t try to take it back again by obsessing about it. That won’t do any good.
We all worry. We all feel anxious from time to time. But we can fight our worry with wisdom and faith.
And maybe we’ll be able to get some sleep.
October Birthdays
October 2 - Ken Seehusen, Shelby Ulfers
October 3 - Joyce Fecht
October 10 - Trent Stirling
October 11 - Matt Eberline, Gracelynn Jones
October 12 - Logan Ott
October 13 - Tim Junker, Joshua Jones
October 14 - Mary Aswegan
October 16 - Duane Hinders, Marilyn Ulfers
October 19 - Rex Ackerman
October 22 - Jodi Bangasser
October 23 - Tracy Ackerman
October 27 - Arlin Eberline
October 28 - Rebecca Jones
October 29 - Annabelle Dohlman
October 30 - Averill Merritt
October Anniversaries
October 6 - Troy & Kristol Ulrich
Greeting & Refreshment Schedule
October 5 - Dalen & Bridget Meyer, Dorothy Nelsen
October 12 - Brent & Dawn Janssen, Sam & Ami Cordes
October 19 - Daniel & Lee Shafer, Troy & Kristol Ulrich
October 26 - Dave & Sue White, Ryan & Kristen Fleshner
October Sound/Projector Schedule
October 5 - Tim Junker
October 12 - TBD
October 19 - Matt Eberline
October 26 - Ryan Fleshner
Video Operator Schedule
October 5 - James Seehusen
October 12 - Michael Shafer
October 19 - Lucas Junker
October 26 - Jodi Bangasser
Praise Team Schedule
October 5 - Praise Team 1 (Denise)
October 12 - Praise Team 2 (Ruth)
October 19 - Praise Team 3 (Kelly/Greta)
October 26 - Praise Team 4 (Denise,Airyn)