Matthew 6:25-34
Do Not Worry
25 "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 important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Mark 4:35-41
Jesus Calms the Storm
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
1 John 4:16-21
Perfect LOVE Drives Out Fear
16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
It is difficult to have the feelings of love when one is going through a very anxious time, and is both tense and afraid...I do not know what causes love to be pushed away in times of fear and troubles, but it happens...It maybe the self-absorbed thought stream and negative thoughts that one is having that pushes love away at those times, or maybe it is the dread that lingers in one's mind during those times or maybe it is something else...But anxiousness and fear and dread, especially have this impact on love and our loved ones who suffer from anxieties and worries...
Jesus encouraged all His followers not to worry and to believe in God first and foremost...This faith in His Father helped Him tremendously...And when the Disciples had a quick storm approach them and they were besieged by wind and waves even they became worried...And they had their Divine Master right beside them, albeit He was relaxed and asleep...But St. John writes that there is no fear is Perfect LOVE...And yet at this time, we can see His Disciples fear of drowning...I really believed Jesus' Disciples loved Him, but they still could not drive out their fears of this raging storm and their drowning thoughts...I do think that at the time of the storm, their love for their Master was not in their thoughts, but their thoughts of fear had now occupied the vast majority of their thoughts...
Jesus LOVED His Disciples and He had this Perfect LOVE...We can almost feel His calmness when He talks to the wind and the waves...Jesus' faith in God, helped keep His thoughts on LOVE and not on fear and the fear of the storm...And He asks His Disciples during the time of this bad storm, "Do you still have no faith?"...He not only has Perfect LOVE, but He has Perfect Faith...
Love and faith are great virtues and let us use them...Using Jesus as our example, let us pray our love and faith help us during our times of troubles...