Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. - Matthew 6:34, NIV

 Do you ever "worry about tomorrow?" I know I do. Sometimes it is an occupational hazard - like last night when I was looking at the weather predictions and I was trying to decide whether or not to have Wednesday evening activities at the church. (By the way, we are not - in case you did not get the email.) Sometimes we even get paid to "worry about tomorrow." But I don't think that is primarily what Jesus was talking about in these words.
 
For me, the times of worry usually hit about 3:00 a.m. when I can't sleep. My mind is very adept at finding things to worry about. Now I have come to realize that if it were during the day, I would be less prone to worry because of the other demands on my time, or my ability to do something about it. But at 3:00 a.m., I usually can't do anything about it. And since my mind has nothing better to do, it becomes hard to tell myself not to think about it. It is kind of like telling someone to ignore thinking about elephants, and that becomes all you can think about.
 
So, one of the ways I have learned to deal with those times of anxious worry is to pray one of the Psalms. Of course, Psalm 23 is the one I know best - as many of us do. I take each line and recite it as if it were a prayer: The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want -- Thank you God for watching over me like a shepherd and for providing for my needs. Especially, I want to thank you for . . . That can go on for a while when I count my blessings and "name them one by one" -- as the great, old hymn encourages us to do.
 
This season of Lent, as we take an in-depth look at Psalm 23, I invite you to find times to pray this Psalm - particularly when you find yourself worrying about tomorrow.
 
Prayer for Today

Thank you, God, for reminding us that we do not need to worry because we can trust our lives and our future to you. We pray this in the name of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Amen.