Replacing Worry

Texts:
- Psalms 125-128
- Matthew 11

"Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat - for he grants sleep to those he loves."

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Lord, I could always use rest. But that's been established many times before as I have written You. What is interesting to me in these verses, that just kind of jumped off the page to me, is that its not just rest from stress of life. Its rest from even the good things that we are building.

Is it not good for someone to build a house, or stand watch over a city? Of course it is, these things are very necessary for safety and for normal living. They are good. But there's the interesting added words to these good things, "unless the LORD."

I think these images of watchmen and builder are perfect for where I am right now. I often feel like I am a watchmen for this new community that we are beginning. I feel like I am protecting it, trying to keep it safe, trying to keep anything bad from happening. Truth is, most of the bad things that could happen in the community are far beyond my control. So the result for me is worry, then becoming weary and burdened.

Or the builder, trying to pursue avenues of growth. How can we find the support and money that we need to get where we want to go. How do you go about finalizing the building codes (or the details needed to be a recognized church)? Where will we get the materials? Who will help?

These questions, these worries, beyond my control. Like most of this life, beyond my control.

"Unless the LORD..." So how do we know if You are? Are You building the house with us, are You watching over the city? If You are, then what? Because we still have to help build, right? We still have to stand watch, right?

It all comes down to worry. It's strange, until we started thinking and really building this community, I wasn't much of a worrier or someone who panicked. I have felt that way at different times in this process, even now as I type. Worry has somehow become a part of my life. I don't like it, it doesn't feel like me.

I want to be the optimistic, "It will all work out," faithful person that I've been in the past. When people tell me that You are going to bless what we're doing, I want to be able to say thanks to them and really believe it in my heart. Basically, I want You to continue to take control away from us.

Saturday I talked about how we walk on the road towards You. Right now, and often lately, I have been walking with worry. Empty my road of worry, replace it with a comfort and restful sense of Your control. Amen.