Don't Worry, Be Thankful
By Rev. Heidi L. Barham | November 24, 2024
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Read Matthew 6:25 – 34 (NIV)
As I thought about today’s New Testament lesson, I was reminded of the song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” which was the 1988 Grammy Song of the Year. It was recorded by Bobby McFerrin and was part of the soundtrack for the movie, “Cocktail.”
It is a catchy little tune and is said to be the first acapella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In fact, there was a time when you could not turn on the radio or TV without hearing that song played. And if you’re like me, once you heard it, you simply could not get it out of your head.
Some of you may be aware that there is an actual term for that phenomenon... when a song gets stuck on repeat in your head. It’s called an earworm. And let’s just say, I have been known to pass them along from time to time.
Now, songs like “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” have the ability to lift our mood and inspire us to be happy. It has something to do with the endorphins that are released when we listen to music that we enjoy.
In fact, back in 2011, McGill University in Canada released the results of a study that showed that listening to music can release a neurochemical in our brains called dopamine. This is actually the same neurochemical that is released when our desire to eat or to sleep has been satisfied. And let me just say eating and sleeping have been known to make me very happy.
It would seem that when things in life are going well, that specific neurochemical, Dopamine, sends a signal to our brain... telling us that rather than worrying... we should be happy... you know, like the song says.
Now since this is the season of Thanksgiving, I thought it would be appropriate to put a slightly different spin on that song and focus our attention this morning on the theme, DON’T WORRY... BE THANKFUL.
Several years ago, I came across a story in the “Mornings with Jesus” daily devotional. This particular story in was based on our text for this morning from the Gospel of Mattew.
In the story, the writer talked about living twenty miles from the nearest fitness center but being only fourteen feet from the nearest can of soup.
And while that might seem like a rather strange comparison to make... the author explained that fitness experts have figured out that instead of using fancy gym equipment in order to strengthen our muscles... we can actually sculpt our arm muscles simply by lifting a can of soup and extending it out to the side.
But rather than take my word for it... try this experiment when you get home. Pick up a can of soup and hold it out to the side. Now, initially, it might feel like it does not weigh all that much and that it will have little effect in strengthening your muscles. However, if you hold that can in your outstretched arm long enough... let’s just say, you will start to feel the burn.
Now, according to the author of that story... our muscles are not strengthened because the weight of the object has increased... rather it is the amount of time that we hold onto the object that causes the greatest effect. The longer we carry the weight... the greater the impact it has on us.
Now, the author went on to explain that worry can be like that as well. Initially, worry may not feel very heavy, and it may only tax the mind or body to a minimal degree...
But as we continue trying to manage that worry over time... it can be like carrying a small weight... perhaps no larger than the size of that can of soup... and when that worry or that weight is carried over an extended period of time... it can result in a level of pain that has the ability to cripple us.
After making that comparison... the author then shifted focus to our New Testament lesson for today... pointing out that within these few select verses Jesus says, “Do not worry,” three different times (25, 31, 34). And He asks a somewhat simple question, “Why do you worry?” (28) challenging His listeners by asking, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (27).
It brings to mind the second stanza in Bobby McFerrin’s song which says, “In every life we have some trouble; but when you worry, you make it double.”
And who wants double trouble??
So, that ought to give us the inspiration we need to set aside our worries... especially since Jesus said multiple times in our text, “Do not worry.”
And while it may seem that we are living in some rather worrisome times right now... Jesus’ words of encouragement not to worry still hold just as true for us today as they did for the disciples way back then.
Now, I would like to call our attention to verse 33 of the text as it is found in the Message Paraphrase, “Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out.”
Let me suggest that steeping our lives in those three things... God-reality, God-initiative and God-provisions... is the key to living a life that is filled with a lot less worry... and with a lot more reasons to be thankful.
First, there is God-reality. When we accept the fact that God is real and all of what that really means... there really is no need for us to worry.
It was many years ago, that Mahalia Jackson sang the song, “My God Is Real,” and the lyrics to that song say:
There are some things / I may not knowThere is nothing that can compare to the feeling we get when we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is real... and it is nothing short of amazing when we start to recognize His hand at work in our lives.
There are some places / Oh Lord, I cannot go
But I am sure / Of this one thing
That God is real / For I can feel / Him in my soul
It always fills my heart with joy during Sunday school class or during Bible study when we share stories about the ways we have felt God’s presence in our lives... and how we have come to know for ourselves that God is real.
And because we know that God is real and what God has done for us in the past... in those times when we do become anxious or afraid or worried... we can take comfort in the words of the Psalmist who wrote, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
Hearing those precious words... knowing that God is right here with us... means we do not need to worry... and instead we can turn our thoughts toward being thankful.
In addition to the words of the psalmist... we might also consider the words of the Apostle Paul found in his letter to the church at Philippi which read:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.We can steep ourselves in God-reality... trusting that God is real and is with us in any and all circumstances. The Scriptures give us the assurance that God is a present help in times of trouble, and we have the ability to bring our requests to God without anxiety... in other words without worry. And in all of that we will find peace.
The reality is that God is with us... even in our most anxious moments... so, DON’T WORRY, BE THANKFUL.
Now, the second thing verse 33 of the text says we are to be steeped in is God-initiative.
God is the ultimate Initiator... the creator of heaven and earth. God is the One who hung the sun, the moon and the stars... and God is the same One who breathed life into each and every one of us.
God took the initiative in loving us first... in fact, God loved us so much that He gave us His only Son so that “whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). And let us not lose sight of the fact that the reason “we love... [is] because [God] first loved us,” (1 John 4:19).
So, when we steep ourselves in that God-initiative... it means understanding that because God loved us first, we are now called to take the initiative in reaching out to and loving others... just as God loves us.
In Matthew 28, Jesus says:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.This particular text is often referred to as the Great Commission. It means that rather than sitting around waiting on people to find their way to us... God wants us to take the initiative to go out and tell a dying world about a living Savior who is Christ the Lord.
Although there may be some people who will not welcome us with open arms or who will refuse to listen to what we have to say... it’s okay. It is just like Jesus told the disciples, “[If] any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.”
So, DON’T WORRY, BE THANKFUL because there are sure to be plenty of other opportunities to share the Good News about Jesus!
Now, armed with the knowledge that God is real, we can take the initiative in spreading love and sharing the Gospel with others without worrying... and that brings us to the third thing that we are to be steeped in to alleviate worry which is God-provisions.
In Philippians 4:19, Paul wrote, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Meeting all of our needs, that’s provision.
Back in Genesis 22, when Abraham proved his faithfulness and obedience to God... even to the point of being willing to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac... God provided a ram in the bush for the sacrifice in place of Abraham’s son,... and the Scriptures tell us, “So Abraham called the name of that place The Lord will provide; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided”’ (Gen. 22:14).
That’s provision.
Then there is Psalm 23... one of David’s psalms that is filled with God-provisions. It starts off with verse 1, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;” and it goes on to speak of green pastures, still waters, restoration, comfort, a fully prepared table, anointing, goodness, mercy and a promise to dwell in the House of the Lord forever. That sounds an awful lot like provision to me.
And if God has covered all of those bases... honestly, what else is there to worry about?
I would have to say, “Not much.”
Listen again to verse 33 of the text, going back to the NIV, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
God has already made a way for us to let go of our worries... by being an ever-present God... an all-loving God... and a God who provides for all of our needs.
All of which comes as a result of seeking the kingdom of God... first.
This same concept is echoed in the chapter that follows our text for the morning. It is in Matthew 7, where we read these words:
Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.Ask for that God-reality.
Seek ways to take that God-initiative.
Knock on the door that opens up into those God-provisions.
Then be prepared to be blessed beyond anything you could have ever imagined... and BE THANKFUL. Take the time to let God’s abundant blessings soak in... allow yourself to stop worrying about anything that may come beyond that very moment when you find yourself in the presence of God.
In fact, that last verse of our text in the Message says, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”
It is the author, Mark Twain, who is credited with saying, “I have spent most of my life worrying about things that never happened.”
Rather than worry about what may or may not happen someday down the road... God wants us to seek Him first and rest assured that He will take care of whatever else comes up along the way.
That is why Jesus encourages us not to worry about what could happen tomorrow or any day after that... because regardless of what may or may not happen in the future... God is already there, and God has already made provision for us. So, DON’T WORRY, BE THANKFUL.
Now, if we were to take a quick look back at the Old Testament, we would find these words of encouragement repeated multiple times in 1 Chronicles as well as the Psalms, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (see 1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalm 106:1; Psalm 107:1; Psalm 118:1; Psalm 136:1).
That is really why we do not have to worry... because God is good and His love endures forever... and for that, we can be thankful.
But just in case you need a little more reassurance, let me call your attention to the book of Lamentations (3:22 – 25), where we read:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him...And to the book Hebrews (10:23), where we find these words of encouragement, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
So, DON’T WORRY, BE THANKFUL... because no matter what else may be going on in the world around us... we can hold onto hope... because our God always has been and always will be faithful!
And with that thought in mind, let us stand and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: Great Is Thy Faithfulness #86. Back
