When the Cares Crowd In

We stepped aside from our series this Sunday for a lesson many of us needed. What do we do when the cares crowd in?

Face the pressure. Again and again in ten verses, Jesus says do not be anxious. The Greek word, merimna, comes from a root meaning to divide, to pull apart. It names the action, not the object.

What worry pulls apart is the heart. Not a crowded calendar, but a heart drawn into pieces, a dozen directions at once.

Martha is the picture. Distracted on the surface, divided underneath. One thing is necessary. Bring it to Him.

We do not try harder; trying harder is one more thing on the list. Jesus says look. Look at the birds, consider the lilies. He does not hand us a technique. He reminds us we have a Father.

And Peter says cast your cares on Him. The word is to fling them, and leave them there.

Peace. Be still. A storm rises, and Jesus is asleep in the boat. He speaks, and the sea goes calm. But notice, before He stilled the storm, He was resting in it.

Peace is not the absence of the storm. It is His presence in it. He may not still your storm tonight. But settle down. He is in the boat.

Something to sit with this week:

Where do the cares crowd in for me? Am I dealing with them by trying harder, or by looking to Him? Does my peace depend on the storm ending, or on the One who is with me in it?