Father, an up and down kind of day but I would ask that You would enable me to move forward. I would humbly ask that Your word would pass from your heart to my mind to this keyboard before me that, despite this earthen vessel, people may clearly hear what You have to say. Amen.
Luke 12:22-34 (<<click here to read the passage)
It is not unusual for me to witness a murder behind my house. Oh, not that kind of murder but a murder of crows! Quite a few of them live in the wooded areas around our home. They are loud but serenely beautiful in their solid black plumage.
Ravens are in the same family as crows and are technically known as corvids. (A little side note: a group of ravens is called an “unkindness” or “conspiracy” – fitting since they are traditionally considered creepy. Not much better than a murder!)
In today’s passage from Luke’s Gospel, Jesus refers to ravens. He says in the first portion of verse 24,
Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. NLT
To my knowledge, I’ve never seen a raven in the wild (though they do live in the Appalachians, so I might have seen one and not realized it) but I see lots of crows. I’ve never seen a thin, malnourished crow. They all seem to be well-rounded, well-fed, and full of mischief. They don’t have a care in the world for their Creator cares for them.
It’s strange that though we know that God loves and cares for us, too, that we seem to be full of worry, care, and anxiety. We can stress over just about anything!
Interestingly enough, Andy Andrew’s The Noticer comes to mind once again. In chapter four, one of the main characters – Jones – is sharing his wisdom.
“Forty percent of the things you worry about will never occur…. Thirty percent of the things you worry about are things that have already happened – in the past. And all the worry in the world ain’t gonna change what’s already happened, right? Twelve percent of all worries have to do with needless imaginings about our health. My leg hurts. Do I have cancer? My head hurts. Do I have a tumor? My daddy died of a heart attack when he was sixty, and I’m fifty-nine…. Ten percent would be petty-little-nothing worries about what other people think. So if my math is right, that leaves eight percent…. Eight percent for legitimate concerns … these legitimate concerns are things that can actually be dealt with. Most people spend so much time fearing the things that are never going to happen or can’t be controlled that they have no energy to deal with the few things they can actually handle.” – Andy Andrews (The Noticer, pg.54-55)
So, what are we to do? Jesus goes on to say,
And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things? v24b-26 NLT
Lord Jesus, faith factors in greatly here. Once again, there is wisdom in planning ahead but worrying about all the what-ifs and maybes eats away at us bit by bit consuming our time, energy, and mental faculties. Help us to trust You with it all, for the crows and ravens do it each day and flourish. We can do the same! Amen.
Aug 7th, 2020, Fri, 8:43 pm
