Philippians 4: 4-7

One of the dangers of sharing insights from a letter of Paul- we forget it is a letter! It is not meant to be a theological treatise. If we examine each word, we might miss the message. Here is a love letter in Christ full of passion to encourage his friends. These same thoughts speak to us, because God breaks through the words of Paul and gives us His message of love and grace through Jesus Christ. We feel his passion for his people. We love our Lord, too. So, these letters leap in our hearts. The reason is simple: these letters feed Jesus Christ in us!

Here is a summary of what I shared with you in the first three chapters:

1- Christ- the source of our life "He who began a good work in you..."

2- Christ- the Lord over all our life; "Every tongue confess, Jesus Christ is Lord."

3- Christ- the way/goal for our life; "laid hold of by Christ, I press on- to heaven!

The final chapter underlines the whole letter in the powerful supply of Christ in your life and mine! He IS our power and supply through our life-"Rejoice in the Lord! Rejoice!"

I don’t know about you, but I need that word breaking into my life daily. You see, there are two days of the week that often plague us. No, not Monday. I speak of Yesterday and Tomorrow. What happened yesterday might have been wonderful. But some days do not go well. In fact, we can wake up discouraged by yesterday. Today could plague us with the discouragement of yesterday. I get discouraged. I enter into the struggles of people. When they succeed, great! But when they are overwhelmed and cannot get on with their lives, I get discouraged. What could I have done to be more effective? Or, I wanted to go back and catch those thoughtless words I spoke. Won’t I ever learn? Discouraged by the mess of yesterday can make today miserable.

Tomorrow- well we must plan and work for our tomorrows. But if we begin to worry about them, tomorrow can torment us. Did you know that there is a National Anxiety Center? (Really a newspaper)! Each year they list the 100 things we need to worry about...from AIDS to drugs to split-ends.

Oh, but what a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear, what a privilege it is to carry, everything to God in prayer.... "Here I am - AGAIN, Lord!" Overwhelmed by our yesterdays and our tomorrows, we come to the Lord. He covers our past. We need only ask His forgiveness and go on! "He (God) will hear my voice. He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle against me!" (Ps 55:18) Forgiven! So, let’s leave our yesterdays. Let’s address our tomorrows. The psalmist made it so simple: CAST ALL YOUR BURDENS UPON THE LORD...HE WILL SUSTAIN! (55:22)

Today I want to talk about the worries of tomorrow with you. Worry! Jesus warned us not to worry about tomorrow...today’s problems are enough! But we do. Our voice betrays our fear when we come to God the Father in prayer: "Here I am, AGAIN, LORD!

What is worry? An overwhelming dread or uneasiness. They are usually related to the future. We all worry. None of us escapes. Everyone who takes responsibility seriously, worries. It’s one reason things get done! What do we worry about? Threats. To our own physical well-being and our family’s. We might fear the opinion of others. We might fear being abandoned. Choices: we have to make them. Some people cannot make them, for fear that it is the wrong choice. Past experience brings fear to future conflicts: a son had a father who abused him, so he cannot trust any authority.

Worry! We become preoccupied with bad things that may happen. We have a choice. We can choose to AVOID. But that usually brings on more stress. Or, we can face our worries and deal with them. When it is good it is very good: a deep concern for the healing or salvation of a family member or friend. When worry is bad, it torments us about tomorrow. Disease can be caused by worry. Let’s approach worry in the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Why do we worry? We are vulnerable. The economy could turn down and we are out. A drunk driver could take out our family. We can do everything right, then something goes wrong. A pain in the chest, a car breaks down in the desert. Worry tells us we cannot trust God. And there is where I bring us today. Will we live in His hands, or in our own? First, let’s turn worry on its "head." Then, let’s take some steps offered by Paul to keep worry where it belongs.

I just read a wonderful story that helped me to turn worry on its head. A young man

heard the awful news: cancer. He did not have a great, long future. He traveled to New York City to a place where cancer research was on the "cutting edge." He wanted a second opinion. While he was there, he had time on his hands, so he enrolled in a class at a nearby college. He thought the subject would help him get over his discouragement and his worry about his future. The teach observed him, and after class said, "What’s wrong? You look awful." "I am dying of cancer." The teacher paused then shocked him. "You know, that must be the most exciting thing in your life!" The fellow recoiled. Then he examined the teacher’s remark, and finally said, "I never thought about it that way." What transpired in that moment was turning worry on its head. There began a search - for a cure, certainly, but more, a search for meaning for his tomorrows that he had to live.

He re-connected his life to Jesus Christ, and began to really live a fuller life! It came out of that bad news. That fellow did not die of cancer. Three years later he died saving another in a fire. (Ben Haden, "Changed Lives")

That fellow discovered the same wonderful truth Paul discovered. The Lord is near, so REJOICE! Death comes, but we can rejoice - He is near. We might be persecuted, so REJOICE! The Lord is near! The Lord was near...with them, in them. When we discover this simple truth, worries have a way of being turned around.

"Rejoice! The Lord is near!" How close is that? As close as our breath to our words. If He lives within our hearts, He is so close! Our attitude changes as we come to God this way. They become opportunities for all of us to REJOICE

NOTHING be anxious for! Paul placed the negative ahead in this direct statement. Whatever the worry...he calls his friends to pray! I do, too. NOT be anxious. We say that the person who is not worried, just doesn’t know the situation. If we have come to Christ, we can see not only the mess ahead, but a way to approach it. Paul guides us to turn worry on its head...Pray! For everything and anything - with a thankful heart!

Ever the teacher Paul reveals the wonder of thankful prayer. Remember that worry is NOT the same as careful planning and normal concern for our own or our family’s future. It is exaggerated concern that we must guard against. That kind of worry can cripple us from taking action in our lives for weeks or a lifetime.

What are your concerns? Begin to list them on one side of the paper you have at home. Now, which of them consumes you most of the time? Honesty before God might be painful. Circle it. Re-read Psalm 55.22: cast your burden on the Lord! Throw it to Him!

That is just like throwing a net out in the water. It goes out and settles down into the water. See the water as a place of forgetting! God has your burden now...out of sight. When it shows up again, cast it again...and again!

We all like to believe that each of us is self-sufficient. We don’t need help. We need God only if we are in trouble. "O Lord, I haven’t called on you in a long time. Get me out of this, and I promise I won’t bother you again." But when fear grips us about the future, it says that we do not trust God!

No money? How will I eat? Weigh yourself. Has God allowed you to miss a meal? How did He provide? Thank Him, as you enter a new day of providing food for yourself and your family. No job? He will lead you to new adventures, if you do the next thing that you must. The key: rejoice and give thanks as we place our worries before Him. He will turn them around ... We need only keep in fellowship with Him.

That is the final step. Recognize that the peace of God will guard you! We cannot have that peace of God UNLESS THE GOD OF PEACE LIVES IN US. Be sure that He does live within you. Welcome him to the heart of your home and see Him take our worries.

We can wrap ourselves in something..and..SOMEONE bigger than us, we gain peace ...because it is a by-product of being committed to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom of God!

So, next time you and I stand before God in prayer, we have a way to move beyond our worries and enter into His love and power and supply for today: "Here I am AGAIN, Lord! I am glad to be here! My yesterdays, todays, and tomorrows are in Your hands!