Nougat 17

It’s hard to be calm in crisis. In fact, we sometimes marvel at those who can accomplish that. Today’s Holy Nougat has been ‘sloganized’ by many, and popularized in song. Yet, the poignance of the message is often lost on us in troubling times.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Secret: Don’t Worry – Just Tell God

It seems that the adage is true, the more things change is the more they remain the same. Maybe it is because as the Teacher once surmised, there’s nothing new under the sun (see Ecclesiastes 1:9), rather a different iteration. No, I’m not getting maudlin, because my logic says if nothing is new under the Son, then our Nougat holds just as true today as it did in Paul’s time.

Now, The Teacher (King Solomon) is credited with opening that safe bit of advice in Ecclesiastes, and we recall several ‘fear nots’ in encounters involving prophets and God. Jesus’ birth story includes at least two ‘Fear Nots’ and Jesus’ famous sermon dedicates a segment to overcoming worry. Plus, Jesus also prophesied about the inevitability of troubles in this world (see John 16:33). Yup, some things are truly constant.

What is more constant than God’s Love for us? Nothing. Not One Thing! From the Act of Creation through to The Fall one can see God’s Love at work as a tangible aspect of humanity’s relationship to God. It was also the crux of God’s contingency plan for sin. So much so that Jesus not only died for us, but He finished His point in John 16 by saying take heart (don’t worry), I have overcome the world.

And that’s what the secret formula to counter worry entails.

Jesus.

Yes indeedy. Paul encouraged his congregants in Philippi to pray about everything. He meant everything (everything means any and everything that’s cause for worry that meaning hasn’t changed). And as believers, prayer is to YHWH through Y’shua, not anything or anyone else. With a love as constant as God’s is, a love that would leave the ninety-nine for the one, and a love that faced the Cross, conquering Death for our sakes, we oughta trust it.

Don’t Worry; Give God the Situation; Let Go and Leave it to God.

Selah

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May all we seek be found in Christ