What To Do About Worry

What To Do About Worry (Matthew 6:25-34)
 
Matthew 6:25-34, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
 
People cope with worrying in a number of ways, some drink to dismiss it, others shop for a distraction, some take naps or go to bed early to avoid it. None of these remedies work because the panic still sets in. In Matthew 6:25, 31-34, Jesus stated three times, “Take no thought for your life” He is telling us not to worry. The Greek word used for “worry” is the concept of being strangled or choked. It leaves you frustrated when you ought to be free and if you are His disciple, then you should stop it. Worrying is a sin because it is doubt in the power and goodness of God. Some people don’t like to call worrying a sin. They convince themselves that they are just “concerned” about something. Legitimate concern is when you are in control of your thoughts and feelings. Legitimate worry is when the matter controls your thoughts, actions, and emotions.
 
We may not like to consider it, but worry is actually a sin. When we worry, we are doubting God, lacking genuine faith in Him. We are not the first generation to experience worry and anxiety. When we study the Bible we find many occasions where people worried and doubted God. Worry is part of the fallen nature of humanity. We are filled with a sense of self-preservation, and far too often we depend more on ourselves or surrounding influences than we do God. Consider a study that I discovered that is quite interesting, putting things in proper perspective. "A doctor once made a catalog of the worries of his patients. He found that 40% of them worried over things which never happened. And 30% of the worries were over past matters which were now beyond their control. Then 12% were anxious over their health, although their only illness was in their imagination. And 10% worried over their families and friends and neighbors, although in most cases these people were endowed with enough common sense to look after themselves. Finally, only 8% of the worries had real causes which needed attention. If the doctor's analysis was correct, nine-tenths of our worries are entirely useless and are unworthy of concern."
 
 It is possible to face the same problem three different times: before it occurs, when it occurs, and after it occurs. Many people face their problems before they happen, this is called fear. Then they face their problems when they occur, this is called reality. Then they face their problems after they are over, this is called regret. If you will notice, much of our anxiety is based upon something that has not happened, or has already occurred, to which we can do nothing about. I believe much of our worry is unsubstantiated. The enemy causes us to see things that are not real. He manipulates circumstances, relationships, emotions, and decisions causing us to consider the worst possible scenario. Many people experience restless and sleepless nights due to unwarranted worry and fear. If the enemy cannot plague you with worry, he will torment you with regret. He pushes the rewind button repeatedly in your mind. He causes you to relive bad decisions, knowing you can do nothing to change the outcome. He is a master manipulator and works fervently to discourage your life.  Face only those problems that are a reality of today. Refuse the worry and regret of problems that are nonexistent.
 
Many Christians spend so much time worrying that they don't even recognize it as a problem. Worry is just part of the background noise of daily life. It is true that we live in an uncertain world where we do not know the future. It is true that we live in a fallen world where things often go wrong because of the damage sin has done to God's design. But it is also true that we have a loving Father who both knows the future and is able to meet any need that we have. Oswald Chambers wrote, “We imagine that a little anxiety and worry are an indication of how really wise we are; it is much more an indication of how really wicked we are. Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way. Our Lord never worried and He was never anxious, because He was not out to realize His own ideas; He was out to realize God’s ideas. Fretting is wicked if you are a child of God. All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.” When we look at the future with worry, we are either denying or forgetting God's love and promises. Though we would never question God's integrity out loud, allowing worry to fill our minds and hearts declares that we do not trust Him as we should.
 
Points to Ponder:
Worry is an insult to God's love, care, power and provision which He has promised to us.
We can trust God to do what is best for us every day.
Faith overcomes worry because it is focused on God rather than on ourselves and our problems.
 
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