“Worrying is walking with an umbrella, waiting for it to rain.” – Whiz Khalifa

Natatandaan ko ng bata pa ako during Sunday School may kanta na:

“I cast all my cares upon You, I lay all of y burdens
Down at Your feet
And any time I don’t know what to do
I will cast all my cares upon You”

Bakit nga ba tayo nag-alala when even Jesus remind us not to worry. Alam naman natin na kahit tayo mag-alala, wala namang naidagdag na maganda or nagagawang mabuti doon sa isyu. May mga pagkakataon pa nga na dahil sa pagwo-worry nagkakasakit na ang iba sa atin.

Why worry when we can pray? In the Book of 1 Peter 5:7 it said: “Cast all your anxieties on him because He cares about you”. Maraming tao ang lubhang nabibigatan dahil pinapasan nila ang daigdig. Kapag palagi nating inisip ang mga masasama na pwedeng mangyari, tinatakot natin ang ating mga sarili, Tayo na mismo ang naglalagay ng multo sa paligid natin. But God cares about us so we better turn our worries over to Him as He is a supernatural God.

Kung may kabigatan tayo sa buhay, what did Jesus say in the Book of St Matthew 11:28 “Come unto Me you who are heavily burdened and I will give you rest.” This reminds us two things: 1) we are human and weak; 2) He is strong because He is God. We are not designed to unilaterally carry our own problems. Sinabi ni San Pedro na: “Ipagkatiwala ninyo sa kanya ang inyong mga alalahanin sa buhay sapagkat siya ay nagmamalasakit sa inyo.” Therefore, alam ng Lord na magkakaroon talaga tayo ng mga alalahanin, pasakit, tragedy and other related or unrelated problems. But He wants to recognise that He is waiting for you to hand over whatever is in your hands to the hands of Jesus.

Whatever good or bad that are suppose to happen will happen whether nag worry tayo or not. Wala naman tayong magagawa kung may bagyo or baha. Kahit mag-alala tayo na baka masira ang bahay natin sa malakas na hangin, may magagawa ba tayo? Wala! So, why worry when it does not bad thing from happening, it just stops you from enjoying the good. Pag may darating na problema, gawin natin ang mga dapat gawin pero ang mag-alala? Hindi na dapat yan sa mga anak ng Diyos. Worry does not remove the troubles but rather add to the troubles. Sa halip na prayer “warrior” eh naging “worrier” na tuloy.

If you can do something about it, then do it. If you cannot do anything about it, you don’t have to worry about it because it is beyond your capacity. God is not expecting you to give something you don’t have or carry a load beyond your strength. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Alam ng Lord ang kakayahan natin, He knows the specs of our anatomy so He is not going to entrust you anything which will breach your backbone.

Maghirap man ang lugar natin, mawalan man tayo ng trabaho, siraan man tayo ng mga kapitbahay, mangyari man ang mga masasama, pero Tandaan mo ito: “mahal ka ng Diyos at hindi nya tayo iiwanan sa laban na ito.” King Saul and Absalom attacked David in Ziglag. He resisted, defeated, and won. But anxiety changed everything. He couldn’t continue. Mental attacks are strongest. “It’s not going to work out” is the enemy’s psychological game. You’ll never recover. Always alone. What’s next? David shook, convinced that nothing would improve.

David’s story could have ended with this panic attack. It’s possible that we won’t hear about him again. He lost to his worry, and he disappeared into the sunset. He said in Psalm 55, David was dealing with anxiety, he said, “I’m overwhelmed with trouble. My enemies are making frightening threats. My heart is anxious with so much fear, and I can’t stop shivering from dread and trembling.” That’s a lot of stress. David was a warrior. Isa siyang magiting na mandirigma. He had defeated Goliath, conquered cities, and led the Israelites to great successes, but now he is exhausted and unable to continue further.

David did something that we all have to do. When worry hit, he didn’t just sit there. Instead, he said in Psalms 55:16, “I will call on the Lord’s name, and he will save me.” He will protect me from the fight that is raging against me. When we feel anxious, we usually call our friends, neighbours, or parents. All of that is fine, but you need to make sure you call on the Lord. You should pray to the God who made you. Call on the God who can bring life back to things that have died. Call on God, who is stronger than anything that wants to stop you. In Psalms 50:15, he said, “Call on me when you are in trouble, and I will help you and save you.” We call our friends, neighbours, and parents when we are anxious. It’s fine, but call on the Lord. Call unto your creator. Call on the resurrection God. Believe that He is the all-powerful God. “Call unto me in the day of trouble and I will strengthen and deliver you,” he says in Psalms 50:15.

Maraming nawalan ng trabaho, namatayan ng mga mahal sa buhay noong pandemic at ang iba may dagdag na problema pa: “volcanic eruption, others have strong typhoons and storms. Paul said in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be known unto God”. Always trust the Lord that He is bigger than our big problems and we have to look to the bigness of our God and not to the bigness of our problems. Be still and know that there is God who is fighting for you. He’s working out his plan for your life.

In the Book of Acts 12, Peter was imprisoned for his faith. King Agrippa had killed James, an apostle. He arrested Peter after seeing how happy the people were. 16 soldiers guarded him in the deepest portion of the dungeon. He faced trial the following day. Peter realised he may die in 24 hours. After James, he was next. He seems concerned, pacing and whining. “God, I’m casting these anxieties on you. Not going to live worried, I know my future is in your hands”.

An angel saved him at night. The angel had to wake Peter up. How could he sleep knowing he might die tomorrow? That’s illogical peace. That’s the result of learning to put full confidence in God. Bagamat may mga alalahanin at hindi natin pwedeng itago yan, pero alam natin na hindi tayo pababayaan ng Panginoon if we trust Him.

A mighty battle ship does not sink because of the big waves of the seas but when it allows the waters to infiltrate through the small holes. Hindi mahalaga ang nangyayari sa labas kung hindi natin ito papapasukin sa ating buhay. When you’re in peace, you’re showing God that you trust Him, that’s your faith at work, that’s what activates His power. Makikita mo ang Diyos sa iyong buhay, supernatural doors open, supernatural healing, supernatural provision.

Ang prayer ko for you is what Paul declared, that you will be anxious for nothing, that you will learn to cast your anxieties to Jesus’ feet. Do not live anymore by living worried. And yes, you may have struggled a long time with stress at maaring sinasabi sa iyo na, “Hindi na ito magbabago”. But let me tell you that God is doing a new thing. He sees you and knows who you are and how you are. Like David, the Lord knows when you are scared, He sees you like Peter when the situation looks impossible. Sa maraming pagsubok na dumating na sa buhay mo, make the decision to hold on to God’s word which said this: “I love you and will be with you until the end of time.”

I pray that the spirit of worry be broken and invite peace to come into your life, your health, your finances, your relationship, your workplace, in your family in the name of Jesus. Amen.