Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– George Herbert
Adds not Another Hour
I read this verse but still fall victim to worrying, and it does nothing at all, as Jesus asked the rhetorical question, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life” (Luke 12:25)? The obvious answer is that we can’t add a single hour to our lives by being anxious over our lives. Jesus tells us, “Then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest” (Luke 12:26). What a waste of energy and time. What do we do about tomorrow’s problems? Trust God today for our tomorrow.
Voided Payment
When our tomorrow comes, we’ll discover that our worry didn’t pay a single bill. What happens is that when tomorrow actually does come and God provided for our needs, we feel that we’ve let God down by not trusting Him. Our worries cannot be exchanged for money, as it is rendered void when trying to pay off tomorrow’s concerns. Jesus wants us to “consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Luke 12:27).
A Lack of Trust
When we worry about tomorrow, something we have absolutely no control over, we essentially tell God, “God I don’t trust You for tomorrow.” But “if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith” (Luke 12:28). Jesus describes our worrying as being “little faith,” so “do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you” (Luke 12:29-31). Seeking the kingdom and the King of the kingdom must come first, and then God promises to take care of the rest of our needs (Matt. 6:33).
Conclusion
Worry doesn’t add anything to our lives, not even a single hour. On the contrary, worry can shorten our lifespans. You can have a hundredload of worry, but it will never pay an ounce of debt because worry can’t add a single hour to our lives, worry can’t be accepted as payment for tomorrow’s debt, and our worry shows we don’t trust God.
