|
DATE |
CHURCH |
SUBJECT |
PREACHER |
BIBLE
REF. |
|
22.06.08 |
All Saints' Church |
Coping with
Financial Worries |
Rev. Tony Higton |
Mathew 6:25-33 |
|
What
would you think of me if I visited a wife who had just been left
by her husband for another woman or parents who had just lost a
baby or a man who has been told he has terminal cancer and I
said: “I know how you feel”? You’d have me sacked for profound
insensitivity and clear incompetence! I don’t know how they
feel. I’ve never been in that situation. I can only begin to
understand how they feel.
But
God is not like that: he does know how we feel. He became one of
us on the first Christmas Day to achieve just that. Jesus – God
become man – experienced the temptations, pain and suffering of
humanity. He also experienced poverty and financial deprivation.
His family was clearly a poor one. We know this from an incident
in the New Testament. Jewish women had to bring an offering to
the Temple 40 days after the birth of a boy. Normally this
offering was a lamb and a dove or pigeon. But Luke 2:22 says
Mary was required to bring “a pair of doves or two young
pigeons.” This was the offering for a poor family who couldn’t
afford a lamb (Leviticus 12:8). So the Son of God was born into
a poor family. He knew about poverty. We need to remember that
when we read what he said about coping with financial worries.
Jesus
calls to have faith over finances. He actually says: “Therefore
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or
drink; or about your body, what you will wear.”
His
words “Do not worry” are a command, as much as his command to
love God and our neighbour. It is not merely a suggestion. And,
since God never commands us to do anything which we can’t do
(with his help), it must be possible to stop worrying. Whenever
the Lord commands us to do something he gives us the grace
(help) to do it.
If I
were just to say to you, as man people do, “Don’t worry” and
that is it, I am not helping you. It is just a trite cliché. But
if say, “God can enable you to stop worrying” that is helpful.
But the question is “How?”
Here
is a summary of the answer to that question:
Remember God is with you.
You’re
never alone – not even at 3 o’clock in the morning when
financial (and other) difficulties loom large. Simply
remembering that God, who loves you more than you can
understand, is there with you helps. If you pray about your
worries that will help to relieve them. Remember the old saying:
“A burden shared is a burden halved.” It certainly lifts the
burden when you pray about worries, and keep on doing until they
subside.
Have a sense of priority
Jesus
says: “Is not life more important than food, and the body more
important than clothes?” (verse 25) Sometimes we worry about our
wants rather than our needs. But if we have life and health and
strength, that is more important than the things money can buy.
Remember that worrying does no good
Jesus
says: “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your
life?” (verse 27).
Trust your heavenly Father
You
are important to him. After all, God in Christ died for you on
the cross. If he did that to save you from sin, death and hell,
surely he can be trusted to provide you with the things you
need. Jesus tells us to remember that we are more important to
God than flowers or birds. He looks after them so he will
certainly look after us. His actual words were, “Look at the
birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in
barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much
more valuable than they? "And why do you worry about clothes?
See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or
spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour
was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the
grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown
into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little
faith? (verses 26-30).
Remember your heavenly Father knows what you need
Jesus
says: “Do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall
we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all
these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need
them.” (verses 31-32).
Submit yourself to your heavenly
Father and he will provide
Jesus
urges us: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well.” (verse 33).
That
is a promise to those who obey him and God keeps his promises,
otherwise he wouldn’t be perfect. So just as you can present a
cheque to the bank and receive cash, so, if you are obeying God,
you can present this promise before God in prayer and receive
his help.
Does
it work? Yes, in my experience it does. For example, many years
ago when I was a young curate we were very poor and found it
hard to make ends meet. My father had given us an old banger of
a car which was a wonderful asset to inexpensive family outings
and holidays. But the car need repairing and we didn’t have
enough money to pay the bill. We prayed about it and shortly
afterwards received a totally unexpected income tax rebate which
amounted not just to the nearest pound of the bill or the
nearest shilling (in those days!) but to the very penny! I felt
God was saying: “Hello .... I’m here. Have you forgotten about
me?” And maybe God is saying that to you now. Don’t ignore
him, pray to him. Test him out to see how he provides. |
