From Worry to Peace

This sermon was filled in Saint Augustine. I filmed several while I was here. Getting to Florida from Atlanta is a boatload of fun. We live on the north side of town, so we have to go through town. If you're on 75 south of Atlanta, you know that it always seems to stop.

I have an atlas, and we use the app on our phone, Ways, to try and get around the bad areas. In our lives we spend a lot of time trying to get from point A to point B, and today I'm going to talk about getting from worry to peace. I want to read you a letter that I saved about worry.

The person wrote, "Worrying for me is an art. I take it very seriously. I won't ride a roller coaster because I could die if the coaster were to fall off the track, or maybe I'll just have a heart attack from the sheer speed itself. I worry on an airplane because, honestly, how do we really trust a 90,000 pound chunk of metal to stay up in the air with another 65,000 pounds of luggage, fueling people? I worry about riding with my husband while he's driving. I worry if there'll be enough money in the bank to pay at all, all the bills each month. I could literally keep going all day with my list of worries. I'm the biggest hypochondriac ever, and every single small thing turned into a huge thing for me."

When the letter ends, the person asks, "How do we get from the point of frantic, tense times to a peace that passes understanding?" That's a great question and a common problem. Christians are not automatically exempt from worry. Jesus spoke about the problem in Matthew 6, verses 25 to 34.

Jesus said this: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air." Jesus said, "They neither sow nor reap nor gather in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to the span of your life?

"And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil or spin, yet I tell you," Jesus said, "even Solomon, Solomon in all of his glory was not clothed like one of these. But God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith?"

Jesus goes on and says, "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For it's the Gentiles who strive for all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." Verse 33 of Matthew 6: "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."

Here in Matthew 6, Jesus tells us not to worry, but does he tell us how? It's interesting to note that this section on worry comes right after Jesus's teaching on prayer and fasting. You'll find the Lord's Prayer in verses 9 to 15 of Matthew 6, and you'll find instruction for fasting in verses 16 to 18. Should that be a hint to us? Should we infer that peace, or not worrying, should come from prayer?

It is clearly stated that way in Philippians 4:6: "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God." Here we are told not to worry but to pray. Paul is the writer of these words from the book of Philippians. You know, you would think that he had it made: no worries, no problems, a life of leisure. You'd be wrong.

Paul was in prison when he wrote these words. Paul knows that worry and prayer are opposing forces. If you worry, you're not praying, and if you're praying, you're not worrying. We also are told to pray with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is an antidote for worry; if we're counting our blessings, we are not worrying about our problems.

When you follow the words, Philippians 4:6, look what happens. Uh, it is found in verse 7. There we are told, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Notice, we started with worry and we ended with peace. It's your choice. You can have peace, or you can go to pieces. It depends if you're worrying or if you're praying.

One commentator put it this way: "God will place a guard at the door of your intel, intellect and emotions." If you're not praying, you don't get a guard. If you are praying, the peace of God will guard your heart and your mind. The idea is that of having a fort with guards around it. Enemies are waging war against your fort, but inside you're living as though nothing is happening, as though peace prevails.

You're living in the confidence of the protection of the guards. That's what God will do for you. Charles Spurgeon once said this about prayer: "Prayer pulls the rope down below, and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so weakly; others give only an occasional jerk at the rope. But he who communicates with heaven is the man who grasped the rope boldly and pulls continuously with all of his might."

Thanks for joining me today. I pray you have peace, peace, it passes understanding. Pull the rope, ring the bell, get from point A to point B. God is waiting. Peace be with you.

Pray with me. Lord, help us to always be people of prayer. Let us have that guard at our heart. Let us ring that bell and be thankful for your blessings. Father, if we are worriers, change us into warriors of peace. In Jesus' name, amen. God bless.