Once upon a soggy time, late-winter snowmelt and early-spring rains gorged the big river. As waters rose, the sheriff dispatched a deputy in a big four-wheeler to fetch the bachelor farmer who lived on a remote bend in the river, where a weak levee threatened to burst.
"Naw," the farmer said, declining the deputy's offer of evacuation. "I'm praying for the Lord to deliver me."
When the levee broke, a neighbor floated over in his pontoon and found the old farmer hitched up in his hayloft.
"Thanks anyway," he told his friend, turning down a second offer of security. "I'm praying for the Lord to deliver me."
Later, a National Guard motorboat gunned against the rapids to reach the farmer, crouched on the crown of the roof.
"Appreciate it," he said to the young officer. "But I'm praying for the Lord to deliver me."
Well, the barn broke apart, and the farmer drowned. A moment later, he glared at God in heaven, mad as a wet rooster.
"Lord, I prayed and prayed for you to deliver me," he shouted. "Where were you?"
"I sent the deputy, your neighbor and the National Guard," God Almighty told him. "If you're too stubborn to accept my help, then you get what you deserve."
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OK, that's an old joke. But it's hung around because it raises a good point: Faith is fine, but actions matter, too. Or put another way:?How much of our lives is God's responsibility, and how much is ours?
This issue surfaced in our Bible study class recently. We've been studying the Gospel of Matthew, and we got to the part of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus instructs his followers not to worry. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?" he teaches.
The full passage (Matthew 6:25-34) struck a chord with our class. Every week, concerns about jobs stand out on our prayer list. In the days leading up to our discussion, one member got hurt and learned he will be out of work, and income, for four to six weeks. Another got laid off in yet-another downsizing. Meanwhile, we still prayed for three others seeking work. These are fine, conscientious, steady young adults. And sometimes, the line between paycheck and pain is razor-thin. Besides caring deeply for these friends, I relate to similar anxiety. Although my job is secure, I'm responsible for raising $5 million to build and launch FaithVillage.com, a social-networking resources website for teens and young adults, which God laid on our organization. We've raised more than 40 percent of our goal, but we have a long way to go, the need for the ministry is great, and we can't print money in the basement.
Yet Jesus says, "Don't worry." He adds, "Seek first (God's) kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." We believe this. But we also know righteous Christians who remain unemployed, some who starve and others who get sick and die. We have watched faithful Christians lose their homes. We have seen vital ministries fail.
Still, Jesus says, "Don't worry." How?
One of our members cited the sage advice of his grandmother: Worry is (a) unproductive, because if you can do anything about the situation, then worry merely detracts from getting on with your task, and it is (b) pointless, because if you can't do anything about the situation yourself, then all you can do is leave it in God's hands.
On top of this, worry is idolatrous. When we worry, we assume we possess the power and authority to control our condition. Of course, we are responsible for our part. Like the flooded farmer, we can accept deliverance and get in the boat. The writer of Ecclesiastes admonishes us to "do with all your might" what we can do. But Jesus commands us to orient ourselves with God's will and then trust God.
Worry is one of the most insidious sins. It saps our faith, distracts us from doing what we can and blinds us to God's grace among us. Don't worry. But get to work.
Marv Knox is editor of the Baptist Standard. Visit his blog at www.baptiststandard.com.
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