Remember this song?
It is so hard not to worry. I am a chronic worrier. I admit it, I’ve spent a lot of time worrying about catching COVID19 or people I love catching COVID. I pray constantly for God to protect all those I care about. So, even though I’m praying, I’m still worrying, rather than just trusting in God.
I think we all worry, about big things and about small things. We know we shouldn’t worry but we do; it is in our nature. How do we tell someone not to worry when we know we all worry?
We know worrying doesn’t solve anything. Faith in God and waiting for his timing and his will is the way to solve our problems. God’s will may not always match our will but He always knows what is best for us.
Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)
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.
Dr. Jay Cook, Pastor at Faith United Methodist Church in Richmond,WV says:
Let me define worry - it is to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret.
The word for worry is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word which means to choke or to strangle.
• Now worry is not the same as concern. Concern says this is an issue and I’m going deal with it and with God’s help I can get through it. Worry says "I don’t know". I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know if I’ll get through. I just don’t know.
• I want to emphasize that worry is one of the Devil’s greatest weapons. It will steal your joy, steal your contentment, and steal your happiness. And we become so wrapped up in worry about tomorrow, worry about yesterday, that we never find peace today.
• What’s ridiculous is that so often we worry about things that never happen.
• We have the tendency to worry about things that aren’t even there or haven’t even taken place yet.
• I’m not sure where this came from, but I saw the statistics that when it comes to worry:
o 40% of the time we worry about things that will never happen,
o 30% concern things that can’t be changed,
o 12% center in on criticism, mostly untrue, made by people who feel inferior,
o 10% relate to health which worsens when you worry,
o And only 8% are legitimate concerns which you can do something about.
There are several reasons why the Bible warns us against worrying:
1. WORRY EXHIBITS A LACK OF TRUST IN GOD - When we trust God we do not worry. Worry says, “I’ve got a problem and I don’t think God can take care of me through it.”
2. WORRY AFFECTS OUR RELATIONSHIPS - I’ve noticed in my life that when I have something important that I have to do or some crucial decision coming up I’m not the most pleasant person to be around. I can be a lot of fun after that thing or event passes. But when we’re stressing over some upcoming event, when we’re feeling the pressure, it affects our relationships with each other.
3. WORRY DAMAGES OUR HEALTH - A great percentage of our illnesses is in some way related to worry and anxiety and stress. The number one killer in America is heart disease. 38% of all deaths are heart related and many of those are related to hypertension, high blood pressure and anxiety. Job 5:2 (NIV) says that resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple. What it is saying is that “to worry yourself to death with resentment would be a foolish, senseless thing to do.
4. WORRY HINDERS OUR WITNESS - Titus 2:10 says that in every way we need to make the teachings of Jesus more attractive to people. We don’t do that when we worry. When we get so worried about things that they consume us and we miss opportunities that God has placed before us to impact people with our faith or we impact them negatively because our worries exhibit a lack of faith.Do you ever stop to think, “You know, I am really presenting a picture here that I don’t believe my God can handle this problem.” That’s what we’re presenting.
John 14:1 - Do not let your heart be troubled."
Can I say my heart is never troubled? I can’t.
Phil.4:6 - Do not be anxious in anything."
Can I say I’m never anxious? No, I can’t. And so we need a solution. We need an answer.
How do I live the worry-free life? And here are four clues.
SLOW DOWN When we are in a hurry, we sometimes miss the main things. We need to slow down to be reminded of what really matters and reflect on the promises of God.
John Ortberg pinpoints this in his article, Taking Care of Busyness. He says, "For most of us, the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it. We will just skim our lives instead of actually living them."
We need to slow down and reflect on the promises of God. We need to slow down and remember that:
o God is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine.
o All things work together for the good of those that love the Lord.
o Greater is he that is in me then he that is in the world.
o Our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed.
o God created the heavens and the earth.
o In my father’s house are many mansions.
o The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not be in want.
o There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME - Don’t borrow tomorrow’s worries today. Worry is experiencing a crisis before it happens. Don’t do that. We spend great portions of our time fretting over future things that we can do nothing about.What if there is an earthquake, or cancer, or an accident. "What if" are worry’s favorite words.
KEEP A LONG TERM PERSPECTIVE - A third cure for worry is to keep a long-term perspective. Jesus said focus on heaven, seek first the kingdom. Develop an eternal perspective.
It will not make any difference that you are five pounds overweight, or that your child didn’t make all stars, or that your spouse put a dent in the fender. What will count is your heart, your character, your generosity, and most importantly your salvation.
So slow down, don’t borrow tomorrow’s worries, keep a long-term perspective.
REMEMBER GOD’S FAITHFULNESS Learn to trust the providence of God. Birds trust God to supply their needs however God does not come along and drop the worms in their mouths. Trusting God doesn’t mean we are lazy and indifferent, but it does mean we come to the point that we can know that God will provide what I really need.
By worrying we actually are calling God a liar. We are saying to God, “I know you can keep the sun in orbit. I know that you can sustain all life on earth. I know that you can answer prayers all over the world at once. I know that you have always been in control in the past...but I don’t believe you can take care of the problem I’m going through now.”
Prov.3:5-6 Trust the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.
Worry says I don’t believe He can do it.
Said the robin to the sparrow, “I would really like to know, why those anxious human beings, rush and worry so.”
Said the sparrow to the robin, “I think it must be, they have no heavenly father like the one that cares for you and me.”
Worry says, I don’t believe God can handle this one. And God says, try me.
Maybe today we each can make a decision that we each will give over that one thing that has really been worrying us. And we are going to give that over to God and put your trust in Him and know that all things will work together for the good of those that love him.
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