Don't Worry, Be Happy 'Cause...
Back in the late eighties,Bobby McFerrin wrote a song that won more than Grammy awards. It won me and others needing pep in our steps from some positive possibilities. It tucked hope inside a melody and lyrics. The song said to me, stop worrying about this and that. Why? ""Cause every little thing gonna be alright." Ferrins
And that's how I felt the other night, sitting on the back porch of Chad's house, talking with Kristina about life and politics. "Don't Worry..." We talked about joy and hope making a comeback. Add to that the sermon I heard last week and I felt God's nudge to stop fretting.
OK. I confess I was church hopping. Sometimes in the summer, I like to visit other churches to see how the rest of the family is doing. So last Sunday I visited the First Congregational Church in Essex, Ma. As I entered a man pulled a rope to ring the bell inside the historic steeple. It's a Paul Revere bell. Imagine that! And while familiar faces welcomed me, like the Stouts and Hammons, the preacher was a guest. Same at my home church.
So guess what his topic was? Do not fret. I'm not making this up. Paul McPheeters preached from Psalm 37:1-11. And I took it as from God's heart to mine. The minister reminded us of what's true for him, me, a lot of us and for David who wrote the psalm. We fret and we like to fix things. But then the preacher noted that, "while David wrote the Psalm, it's like God is speaking, not David." These were my takeaways from the sermon:
- Don't Fret v.1...when you look around
- Trust God v.3...I'm not the fixer, though I can be part of the problem.(He didn't say this but I know it to be true. )
- Do Good v.3...look after the needs of others
- Be Still v. 7 ...Be patient. God's in control, even when it feels like nobody's got this mess
- Don't Rage v.8...angry rhetoric harms more than the ones we gear it towards. It harms us.
- Envy harms v. 8b...it hurts you and me
- Live Expectantly Vs. 9,11 ..Flourish where you live and help others do likewise
So there's a biblical basis for "Don't worry, be happy," even if you don't find it in an hymnal. And I've gotta admit where I used to hear this song most often. Somebody gave Dad Carlberg one of those large mouth bass gizmos you hang on a wall. As you passed by it sang, "Don't worry, be happy." After he died, Jud got the fish. I laugh when I think about it. Father and son, both loved to fish. And the one that got away, so to speak, reminds us not to worry, but to be happy.
And this I believe, in between frets. So "Trust in the Lord and do good, then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you." (Psalm 37:3-5, NLT) And every now and then, it can't hurt to sing, "Don't worry, be happy." Why? "Cause every little thing gonna be alright."
15 Comments
Thank you, Jan, for this timely read (for me). I'm in a state of high worry and although I have Philippians 4:6-7 posted all over the house, worry has me by the throat. Your post got me humming a catchy tune.
Don't worry, be happy.
Tell God what you need, and thank God for all God has done.
Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.
God ' peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Everything's gonna be alright.
Welcome, Rebekah, I haven't heard from you before. And I appreciate that you added this important part: "Thank God for all God has done." Looking back to the faithfulness of God is a good way to deal with today and live hopefully about tomorrow.
I hear you. And am always better for it.❤️
And I imagine you can both play and sing the song., dear Radina I like the beat but, growing up Baptist, limited my dance moves.
Whoops, my fingers are going faster than usual. There should be one comma after song and a period after Radina. I hate run-on sentences, but the older I get, the more they run away..
We all need to remember who is in control! I keep going back to Ex. 14:14... Not an often quoted verse but have been studying a lot in the OT this past year. Would you like to meet up sometime at the Seaport in Gloucester? I come up frequently - it's like coming home!
Candy
Sure, I'd love to meet up with you, dear Candy. And the Seaport is one of my favorite places. As for Exodus 14:14, I had to look it up. And I read,"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (NIV) What an important reminder. Thanks to you and Moses for those good words.
Thanks for the reminder. With the election coming up, it’s difficult not to fret , but God is sovereign. He’s in control and I can trust Him! Now if I can only remember this every day, no mater what. ❤️
Welcome,dear Jackie. You're a new name in the blog responses. Thanks for adding your thoughts to the blog. It is a daily need to remember to trust and not fret. Fretting comes more naturally to most of us, then trusting. Even trusting God. It's hard to relinquish control and simply "trust and obey" as the old hymns says.
Jan, I take away something positive from each of your letter-posts. I am a hand-wringer by nature, so I need every reminder I can get not to fret. And I like how you frame visiting other churches, "so you can see how the rest of the family is doing." YES! The followers of Yeshua are a diverse, global bunch, and we have our funny aunts and crazy uncles and lots of other odd relatives on the family tree (including me.) Grateful for you.
Thanks, my Norwegian sister-friend. We are a diverse bunch and get into trouble with our Father when we act like our kind/tribe is the only legitimate member of the family of God. We've got a lot to learn. And we need to be willing to add more leaves to the table. And listen more than talk. Even better to be extensions of Grace and Mercy to each other. And to risk seeing ourselves as "the other." You know, the ones we tend to think less of, blame, shame or avoid.
I do believe that fear is the enemy of faith, and that worry is a wart on our heart. This is not a grand picture, but worry is not of any value either. Thanks sister Jan for calming my heart. Blessings, Dale
We need each other and to be pointed to eternal truths from God, my dear brother Dale. And that's part of why I need Church and the discipline of being part of Community Bible Study . Both help nudge me away from lesser words.
I love the takeaways you shared - and I just looked up that Psalm and took a moment to slowly read it. Thank you for these encouraging words and Words. <3
Well, dear Wendy, I'm grateful they encouraged you, as they did me. Do Not Fret is easier written than lived out.