He is Already There

One Sunday, I drove to church with a lot on my mind. Instead of worshiping, I planned to spend my morning speaking to some concerned parents about the children’s program. I co-chair the Christian Education committee and we have struggled with this program all year. Besides the parents, I also had to talk to a couple of committee members about an email that circulated the day before. Then, after the worship service, I was to attend the Administration Committee meeting. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to “church” at all that morning.

I like to listen to an old-time/bluegrass gospel show on the radio as I drive to church on Sundays. There is just something about those old and old-sounding songs that puts me in a happy, worshipful place. I was not in a happy, worshipful place as I drove to church on that Sunday. At least, not until I heard a lovely bluegrass song called “He’s already there,” by Darin and Brooke Aldridge.

I perked up when I heard the phrase “I don’t worry much about tomorrow because I know He’s already there” because I heard someone say that same phrase a few nights before. It was after a tense Christian Education Committee meeting. The trouble with our children’s program is multi-faceted and there is no easy fix. There are a lot of different opinions on why things are not working but no one really knows what to do next. This is causing a lot of frustration. As we filed out of the meeting, the pastor of our church said, “Don’t worry about tomorrow because God is already there.” That was Wednesday night. When I heard it again on Sunday morning, I knew to pay attention.

When I got to church, the conversations and meetings all went better than expected. The fires that I expected to put out were easy to take care of or did not materialize. Of course, something did come up that will require me to get MORE involved in the children’s program issue, but I will try to remember not to worry too much about that.

Why?

“Don’t worry about tomorrow because God is already there.”

You know, this is not the first time that I have heard this message. It comes to me over and over again. In fact, I blogged about it once before (here). Why is this concept so hard for me to understand? Why do I have such a hard time “letting go and letting God,” as they say? In the Old Testament, God deals pretty harshly with people who do not adhere to His commands. I worry that He might lose patience with me one of these days and these still, small messages will get bigger and louder. Remember the Flood? Forty Years in the Desert?

I just hope it sticks this time.

Because, according the the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, there will be an emergence of the 17-year periodic cicadas this summer. Plague of locusts, anyone?