Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?
Luke 12:24-26 NKJV
We live in a world that is driven by the engines of chaos and the spirit of unrest. In this world of chaos and unrest, people are constantly bombarded by situations that demand they enter the domain of stress. According to the American Medical Journal, stress has now become the number one killer in the United States of America surpassing cancer if you can actually believe it. Even stress-induced violent crimes are on the rise all over the world. The Goliath of “Stress” has also claimed many victims among followers of Christ.
Thousands of marriages, even those in Christendom, have also fallen victim to the menacing power of stress. Dealing with stress has become a multibillion-dollar industry all over the world. Understanding this unyielding global trend, many pharmaceutical companies are working tirelessly to mass-produce stress-inhibiting drugs that are sold at ridiculous prices to generate outrageous profits. Unfortunately, these drug-induced stress inhibitors also create their own umbrella of problems and side effects.
In 2009, the world was shocked to learn of the death of one of the most famous music icons in history, Michael Jackson. Before his untimely death, it was common knowledge that the famous music icon and king of pop was addicted to prescription drugs. Most of these drugs were stress inhibitors designed to put him to sleep. But one day, Michael Jackson took one pill too many and never woke up again. Millions around the world mourned the death of the iconic singer, while examining their own mortality.
In the above passage of Scripture, the Lord Jesus Christ confronts the problem of stress head-on. Yeshua deals with the stress problem without beating around the bush. In the above passage of Scripture, Jesus deals a death-blow to our stress-driven culture where worrying about tomorrow is king. In dealing with the problem of stress, the Lord Jesus Christ gives us an interesting framework to work with. He poses two very powerful questions, which are actually His exit strategy out of living a life driven by stress.
- Are you not more valuable than the birds of the air?
- Which of you by worrying can even add one cubit to your height?
In the first question, Jesus shows us that the quickest way to “drop the stress” is to realize that since we are more valuable than the birds of the air, our heavenly Father will not fail to take care of our felt needs. In this context Jesus is actually connecting value to the subject of divine provision. The more valuable a “creature” is before God the more God goes out of His way to provide. We humans are a million times more valuable than the birds of the air and yet our Heavenly Father feeds them every day. Have you noticed that they are no birds being treated for stress anywhere in the world? So what are you doing wrapping all of that STRESS around your mind? Drop it!!!
In the second question, Jesus destroys the utter absurdity of worrying about anything. In His estimation adding one cubit of height to our current height is the easiest thing we can do, but since we cant even do that, why do kill ourselves “worrying about tomorrow and what tomorrow will bring?” All that energy is best spent believing God…as He tells us to in His Word! Over 6000 years of human existence have more than proved that trusting God is the best decision we ever make. So drop the stress by stopping, worrying about tomorrow! God has your back!!! It takes the same level of energy worrying about tomorrow as it does to simply stand on the promises of God…so why waste your precious energy entertaining the demon of STRESS…when you can use it to “fuel your faith in God?” I highly recommend that you do two things: (i.) SHARE this post with people or family members who are going through tough times. (ii.) Buy a paperback or ebook of my book “The Consciousness of NOW” where I tackle the problem of STRESS and how to LIVE above it!
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me so much that you have made provision for everything that I would ever need to fulfill your will for my life here on earth. I refuse to live a life controlled by stress and the demon of stress in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. I choose to drop all the STRESS now and receive the refreshing power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus name!
