The Way Out of Worry

Matthew 6:25-34 (Amplified Bible)

²⁵Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing?

    ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?

    ²⁷And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the span of his life?

    ²⁸And why should you be anxious about clothes? Consider the lilies of the field and learn thoroughly how they grow; they neither toil nor spin.

    ²⁹Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his magnificence (excellence, dignity, and grace) was not arrayed like one of these. [I Kings 10:4-7.]

    ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith?

    ³¹Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear?

    ³²For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all.

    ³³But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.

    ³⁴So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.

How to Find “The Way Out of Worry”

Matthew 6:25-34

Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes sat one day, distressed. His wife wrote him a note and left it in his study. I read: “You have suffered through many troubles in life—most of which have never happened.”

Regardless of who we are, we all deal with the problem of worry.  Worry  can be defined as “an anxious, troubled or fearful state of mind.” Someone has said that worry is thinking with our emotions.

Worries experience the phenomenon of the “racing mind”, characterized by an endless stream of anxious thoughts that seem unstoppable. With worry comes increased muscle tension, upset stomach, anxiety and depression, which leads to more serious health problems. Chronic worries often suffer low self-esteem.

The Greek word means “to be divided or inwardly distracted.”  The Anglo-Saxon derivative means “to choke or strangle.” E.S. Jones said, “Worry is the sand in the machinery of life.” On a more humorous note, “worry is today’s mouse eating tomorrow’s cheese.”

Worry is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do, but gets you nowhere. I like the beatitude that says, “Blessed is the man who is too busy to worry during the day, and too sleepy to worry at night.”

The Bible addresses the problem of worry head-on. Worry is no respecter of persons (see Psalm 37:1; Mark 4:18-19; Luke 21:34; 1 Peter 5:7). The only antidote to worry is the peace that only God gives. He will keep us in perfect peace as our minds are fixed on Him (Isaiah 26:3-4).

We sometimes worry about what people think. Recently, I read: “At age 20, we worry about what others think about us. At 40, we don’t care what they think of us. At age 60, we discover they haven’t been thinking about us at all.”

We worry about money. “Why can’t you sleep?” the wife asked her husband, who was pacing the floor at 3a.m. “Honey, I borrowed $1,000,00 from Sam next door, and I owe it to him by tomorrow,”  he said, wringing his hands. “I just don’t have the money!”  His wife jumped out of bed and flung open the window. “Sam,” she shouted, “Sam! Sam!” Finally, the groggy neighbor opened the window. “What is it?” He asked. “You know the $1,000.00 my husband owes you? He doesn’t have it.” She slammed the window shut. “Now,” she told her husband, “you go to sleep and let him worry about the money!”

Jesus teaches us how to practice the peace He has given us as a gift (see John 14:27).

I. – Observe God’s Care in Creation (Matthew 6:25-29).

The doctrine of divine providence is in view. “Look at the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.” Deism states that God created the word but has left it to our own devices. Deism is Bette Midler singing, “God is watching us from a distance.”  But providence means that God is Creator and that He cares for and watches over His creation (see Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 91:1; Isaiah 41:10; Matthew 10:29-31; Jude 24).

II. – Surrender to God What You Cannot Control (v. 27).

1. Jesus asks a provocative question: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”  Recognize the limitations of worry. Illustration: GOD BOX: What we need is a “God box.” Put your cares and worries in the God box and leave them there. There are people and situations you simply cannot control. Only God can reach them or change the situation. Who or what are you worrying about today that you need to put in the God box?
2. Here are three lessons about worry:

1)      Worry is an exercise in futility.  

   Worry won’t pay the bills, secure a job promotion, restore a marriage, control your children, heal sickness, or make you happy. Besides, 91% of things we worry about never happens, and the other 8 percent we end up handling.

2)      Worry is a luxury no one can afford.  Worry is a contributing factor in high blood pressure, arthritis, heart disease and ulcers. One study of 450 people who lived to be 100 year old or older found that these people lived long for the following reasons: 

a) They kept busy; 

b) They used moderation in all things; 

c) They ate lightly and simply; 

d) They got a great deal of fun out of life; 

e) They were early to bed and early up; 

f) They were free from worry and fear, especially fear of death; g) They had serene minds and faith in God (Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking, page123)

3)      Worry is contrary to the Christian life of faith. Worry is a divided mind between faith and fear. Focus your mind purely in the promises of God and overcome your doubts and fears.

III. – Focus Your Faith on the Eternal (vv. 32, 33).

1. The pagans run after these things. The material world is important. We all need food, clothing, and shelter. We need love, belonging and self-worth. But the pagans’ lifestyle is consumed with the material.
2. Seek first the kingdom of God. Worry is so often focused on things that are temporary. We need an eternal perspective in a temporal world and remember the things that really matter. Eternity changes our view of:  1) Wealth (Matthew 6:19-20); 2) Ethics (2 Corinthians 5:8); 3) Accountability (Hebrews 9:27); 4) Sufferings (Romans 8:17); 5) Success (Matthew 25:21).
3. Here is final Jesus’ down-to-earth advice: “So do not worry… each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:31, 34).  The past is gone. The future is not yet here. So live fully in this day God has given you and trust your future to God.

(Source: "Preaching Through the Year" -  By Dr David Cooper)

 

Dr David Cooper – He is the Senior Pastor at Mount Paran Church of God in Atlanta, GA. - Dr. David Cooper’s personal mission in life is to give the world hope in Christ. He has a unique way of sharing biblical truths in a simple, down-to-earth style that anyone can understand. Click here to know more about Dr. Cooper.