DON’T WORRY; BE HAPPY!

In September of 1988 Bobby McFerrin recorded “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”, the first a-cappella song to ever reach the #1 spot on the Billboard charts.  He very wisely tells us, “in every life we have some trouble, when you worry you make it double.”  Isn’t it funny how many times such great prescriptions for living are wrapped up in small, bite-size morsels?  Take Proverbs for instance: “Listen, my child, to what your father teaches you”; “Don’t stay in the company of wicked people”; “Plans go wrong for lack of advice”; “Keep away from angry, short-tempered people.”  Certainly “words of wisdom” for living a wholesome, happy life and McFerrin’s contribution can also be found in those proverbial words of King Solomon.

One of today’s cultural mantras  is certainly aimed at  slowing down and taking time to smell the roses.  Clinical studies have shown beyond any doubt that stress, worry or anxiety contribute to many of the woes in our life, both physically and emotionally.  Webster defines anxiety as “a tense emotional state characterized by fear of something”, then goes on to produce a lengthy list of culprits from which we can choose to fill-in the blank.  But the illuminating part is… once we define the culprit, the negative effect of stress and anxiety in our life tells the whole story.  It clouds our ability to think or to concentrate; it has a negative effect on productivity which can adversely affect our job situation; it can negatively impact our personal relationships; it steals our peace, serenity and joy; it adversely affects our health; and finally, it is a totally waste of our precious time.  So to follow the advice of one of the proverbs listed above, let’s turn to the source of truth for the answer to one of today’s critical problems…stress or anxiety!

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TELL US?

In Philippians 4: 6-7, Apostle Paul tells us, “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.”  Wow!…that about covers the topic.  Instead of worrying and trying to handle all our “stuff” through our own volition, we are told to simply pray!  Why?  Because prayer unlocks God’s power. It is through prayer that we will experience His peace…the same peace that will guard our hearts and minds.  This is much more than a scripture in a book.  This is a scriptural fact. It is a promise!  Notice the promise begins with, “If you do this…” and then goes on to say we will experience something “far more wonderful” than we could ever imagine or produce through our own effort.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to empower us to be victorious as we face any “mountain” that stands between us and being the person God created us to be. 1John 4:4 tells us, “He that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit in this world.” (evil, ie. Satan) That is a promise telling us that we are already victorious! God is our Abba Father, our daddy.  He wants to care for us because we are his children.  Nothing pleases Him more than when we humble ourselves and turn to him for HELP!  After all, he told us “he would never leave us or forsake us”, (Deuteronomy 31:6), and that too is a scriptural fact!

In the Philippeans example above, verses 8-9 tell us to, “fix our thoughts on what is true and honorable and right.  Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”  Paul tells us if we put this into practice, “God’s peace will be with us.”  Hummm…modern psychology tells us whatever information we put in our head sets up our expectations and our actions follow.  Paul, wise man that he was, told not only the Philippeans, but also the Corinthians the same thing 2000 years ago.

Step 3 of the 12 step recovery program states this so very clearly and succinctly: “We became willing to turn our will and our life over to the CARE of God.”  James 4:7-8, 10 states, “So humble yourselves before God.  Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.”  Humility is key in this relationship.  The sooner we learn to be dependent on God’s loving kindness and realize that his desire is to bless us; to guide us; to comfort us, the sooner we can begin relying on, or resting in that truth.  This is often referred to as “turning it over to God”, but my experience in questioning that statement has more-often-than-not illuminated the responder’s lack of understanding of the statement itself.  “Turning it over” does not mean, “Well God, I have this problem so I’m giving it to you.  Oh yes, tap me on the shoulder when it’s solved so I can get on with life.” No!  That’s not what it means.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit empowers US to “cast that mountain into the sea.” Whatever trial or tribulation we are facing, if we ask the Holy Spirit to empower us with wisdom, strength, courage, patience, perseverance – whatever it is we need to accomplish the task at hand that is in line with God’s will for our life, his promise to us is… He will enable us be victorious.  As God told Apostle Paul, “my strength is made perfect in your weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)  That’s the purpose of the Holy Spirit…to empower us to be in the game; to grow in wisdom; to be transformed.

ANXIETY vs FAITH

There is an obvious theme here that is hard to miss.  Anxiety has its roots in fear. Sometimes that fear stems from not being in control; not feeling adequate; or just fear of the ‘unknown’.  The abundant life Jesus promised and living a life that is happy, joyous and free has its roots in faith.  Our faith, confidence and security come from, and continue to grow, as we experience the truth of God’s word come to fruition in our own life. In The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee, the author refers to the scriptures as scriptural fact; scriptural truths that are there because God wanted it to be there so we could experience him and his plan for our life.

Remember…all of this is ours because we are in Christ.  This is the great paradox.  The only way to find freedom is to surrender. When we turn our will over to His will and accept his Gift of Grace, that is when we begin experiencing a life that is happy, joyous and free!  Jesus gave us the same message in Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.”  This rest that Jesus is referencing is the peace and serenity we have all been searching for and hoping for, but heretofore we have been looking in all the wrong places.  Turning it over and having faith in God’s plan is the only enduring pathway to freedom.

Let me close with 1 Peter, 6-7:  “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you.  Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.”   Wow! It IS as easy as Bobbie said it was. “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”

So my question to you is…have you turned it over yet?  Do you get the concept?

Best wishes and do feel free to respond.

Dan Presgrave, (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)