Hanningfield Green
Lawshall
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk
IP29 4QD
Worry
Matthew 6: 25 – 34 & 11: 25 – 30. John 14: 27. Philippians 4: 6 - 7
Do you have a problem? Do you realise that Jesus came not only to die for your sins, but also to help you with your problems because God offers you new life in Christ, and with His power you can change. May I suggest that one of our biggest problems is worry. Are you a constant worrier?
Let’s be clear about this as there are some extreme cases of worry that I am not addressing in this message. Sometimes worry comes in the form of panic attacks, nervous breakdowns or depression, various phobias, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorders), GAD (generalised anxiety disorder), social anxiety, and other issues.
There can be physical reasons for worry, there can be medical reasons for worry, there can even be medicine-related reasons for worry. In such cases we have to acknowledge that your worry may need counselling or medical attention. Amongst many who we are told suffered from depression where the famous preachers Charles Spurgeon and Martin Luther and the famous hymn writer William Cowper. However, if you follow the biblical instructions for worry that we will be sharing in this message, I believe it may help you even with these more extreme cases of worry.
So, what is worry and how does God help you with the problem of worry? To answer some of these questions we will be looking at a number of Scriptures but let’s begin by reading Psalm 139:23-24.
The story was told of a man who decided to hire someone to do all his worrying for him. He found a man who agreed to do so for a salary of £50,000 a year. After the man accepted the job, his first question to his new boss was, “Where are you going to get £50,000 per year to pay me?” To which the man responded, “That’s your worry, not mine!”
As nice as it would be to pay someone to do all your worrying for you, worry is not something you can just pass on to somebody else. You can’t outsource worry, but with God’s help you can overcome it. So how does God help you with the problem of worry?
First, we need to understand why worrying is such a problem. We just read from Psalm 139 where the psalmist tells God, “Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me.” In Ecclesiastes 11:10, God tells us to “banish anxiety from your heart.” In other words, God recognises that our worrying is a problem, and he wants you and me to be worry free. So why is worrying such a problem?
We read in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” God wants to fill you with his joy and peace as you trust in him but worry robs you of that joy.
Do you realise that Today is the tomorrow that you were worried about yesterday. And often our worries about tomorrow rob us of the joys and blessings God wants us to experience today. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength. Worry therefore, robs us of our joy.
Worry also makes us unfruitful. Jesus told the parable in Matthew 13:22 about the seed that was sown among the thorns which grew up and choked the plants. Later when his disciples asked him the meaning of the parable, he said: “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” God wants to use you to serve him and other people, but worry can get a stranglehold on your life and make you unfruitful for the kingdom of God.
That’s why Jesus warned us in Luke 21:34, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.” But if you allow yourself to be weighed down with the anxieties of life, you will not be fruitful for God.
Another reason why worrying is such a problem is because it does not accomplish anything. Psalm 127:2 says this: “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for he grants sleep to those he loves.” It’s a picture of the person who is so worried about the basics of life that he spends his whole day working and his whole night worrying. Do you know that the most common time people report that they worry is between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. It’s when the lights go out, activity ceases, you’re lying in bed, all those worries come flooding into your mind, and you just can’t seem to turn it off. God says all that worrying is in vain. It doesn’t accomplish anything. He wants to take those worries away and give you sleep.
Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere. Is there something you’re worried about right now? Whatever it is. If it’s something you can change, there is no need to worry, just start working towards changing it. If it’s something you can’t change, there is no use in worrying about it, because worrying about it is not going to change it either. Jesus said in Matthew 6:27: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” The answer is, “No one!” Why? Because worrying doesn’t accomplish anything.
And then the final reason why worrying is a problem is because it shows a lack of trust in God. Isaiah 26: 3 - 4 says, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” You can’t trust God and worry at the same time. The two are contradictory.
And this is where we discover that worry is not simply a problem in our lives but can actually be a sin. Worry indicates a lack of faith, and as Romans 14: 23 says, “Everything that does not come from faith is sin.” When you trust God, you don’t need to worry about worrying. Worry shows a lack of trust in God.
As I mentioned earlier, we have to recognise that there are some extreme cases of worry that we are not speaking of here and in such cases, your worry is a condition that needs help. However, if you follow the biblical instructions for worry that we are looking at, I believe it may help you even with these more extreme cases of worry.
So, we’ve talked about the problem of worry in our lives, but what can we learn about worry from a biblical perspective.
First of all, we need to understand the difference between worry and godly concern.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about marriage and singleness, he shared with them some examples of godly concern. 1 Corinthians 7: 32-34 “An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs – how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world – how he can please his wife … An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world – how she can please her husband.” The word translated “concern” in these verses is the exact same word that is translated “worry” elsewhere in the New Testament. But in each of these cases the married or unmarried believer is demonstrating a godly concern, whether for the Lord or for their spouse.
Later in 1 Corinthians 12:25 Paul wrote to the church, “There should be no division in the body, but … its parts should have equal concern for each other.” And then he wrote to the Philippians 2:20 about Timothy: “I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.” Once again, the words translated “concern” and “interest” in these passages is the same word that is translated “worry” or “anxiety” elsewhere. But in each of these cases it is a godly concern that is set forth rather than a sinful worrying.
One more example. In 2 Corinthians 11:28 Paul writes, “I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” Now in this verse I am assured we have a different word in the Greek for “concern.” This word speaks of ‘care or responsibility’ for another.
Godly concern = ‘a genuine, attentive care that results in positive, responsible action.’
So, what is godly concern, and how is it different from worrying? It is “a genuine, attentive care that results in positive, responsible action,” rather than sitting in that rocking chair and going nowhere as we worry!. We need to care for people. Apathy is no better than worry. We need to exercise a godly concern for our lives and for the lives of those around us.
When surveyed recently, the top four things’ people said they worried about were relationships, work, finances, and health.
We all worry about relationships a lot. If you’re married, you worry about your spouse. If you’re single and dating, you worry about relationships that you either may or may not have. If you’re a parent, you worry about your children. As you get older, you worry about your own parents. We should care about the people in our lives, that’s the godly concern we speak of, but we need to stop worrying about the people in our lives because God is in control. You can trust him.
We may worry about work, when we have work, and really worry when we don’t. We worry about tasks and projects and deadlines and bosses and co-workers, and it can all become overwhelming at times.
We all worry about finances! And that’s true whether you’re rich or poor. The wealthy worry about their wealth – how can I make it grow, and what happens if I lose it all? While the poor just worry about having enough for tomorrow. And those of us in between? We may worry about making the finances stretch as we see energy and daily living prices increase.
We all worry about health. Sometimes we worry about actual health problems and reach out for Google to give us answers, rather than God. Sometimes we worry about potential health problems, and sometimes we worry about imaginary health problems. But we all know how important health is to our well-being, and so we worry about health.
Of course, we worry about other things as well. We worry about the world, we worry about our safety, we worry about death and dying. Basically, we just want to know that everything is going to be all right.
Jesus summed up all these things in Matthew 6: 25 & 31-32, when he spoke of how we worry about our physical needs. He said, “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? … So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”
Relationships, work, finances, family and health all represent our greatest areas of need, and so these are things we worry about the most.
Why do we worry? There are basically three reasons.
Firstly, we don’t know the future. We don’t know what is going to happen. We don’t know how things will turn out, and we don’t know what will or will not work. And too often we imagine the worst rather than hope for the best. Uncertainty breeds worry, and one of the main reasons we worry is because we do not know the future and we like to be in control.
A second reason we worry is because we can’t solve all our problems. If it was something we could fix or change, we could start fixing or changing it. But we often face problems that are bigger than we are. We don’t have the necessary skills or resources, and so we worry. Now our worrying doesn’t make things any better. In fact, it only makes things worse. But we are worriers, so we go ahead and worry anyway.
A third reason we worry is because we can’t be everywhere at once. Our children or grandchildren are away at school, and we can’t be there with them, so we worry. Our spouse is late coming home; we haven’t heard from them, and we don’t know where they are, so we worry. Or we worry about what will happen to our loved ones if we die.
So, we worry because we don’t know the future. We worry because we can’t solve all our problems, yet alone theirs!! We worry because we can’t be everywhere at once. If you look at all three of those reasons, you will notice there is a common element. The reason we worry is because we are limited as human beings. We are finite creatures.
And that’s when we need to remember that although we are finite, God is infinite. We don’t know the future, but God does. We can’t solve all our problems, but God can. We can’t be everywhere at once, but God is everywhere at once. That’s why instead of worrying we can trust God. He is all-knowing, he is all-powerful, he is all-present. You can trust him to take care of all things.
We have looked at the problem of worry. We have looked at understanding worry.
Finally, let’s talk about dealing with worry. Let me share with you six things
that will help you deal with the problem of worry in your life.
First of all, know that you have a Heavenly Father. When you trust Jesus as your Saviour, God adopts you into his family. Jesus said in Matthew 6:26, “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?” God is your heavenly Father who loves you and takes care of you. He takes care of the birds of the air. Are you not much more valuable than they? Yes, so much more valuable as Romans 8:17 says, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” As joint-heirs with Christ, we have access to the limitless resources of God Himself, the assurance of eternal life, and a relationship with God that brings peace and joy.
Secondly, trust in God. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me … Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14: 1 & 27.
Trusting God also means trusting God’s sovereignty, trusting that God is in control, especially when life gets hard. That’s when you need to remember Psalm 139:16, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
John Newton wrote a long time ago: “How happy are they who can resign all to him, see his hand in every dispensation, and believe that he chooses better for them than they possibly could for themselves.”
Remember, the reason you worry is because you are finite. But God is infinite. Trust him.
Thirdly, learn to live in the present. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33-34, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” When you seek God’s kingdom first, God promises to take care of everything else. You don’t need to worry about tomorrow. God has it all under control.
As Charles Spurgeon wrote, “It is folly to think the Lord provides grace for every trouble except the one you are in today.” Worry will not empty tomorrow of its trials, but it will empty today of its triumphs! Or as Mark Twain put it, “I’ve had many troubles in life, most of which never happened.”
Learn to live in the present. Don’t let the worries of tomorrow rob you of your joy in Christ today.
Fourthly, pray about it. Philippians 4: 6-7 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”. You give God your requests, and He will give you his peace. Prayer makes all the difference.
Fifthly, fill your mind with good thoughts. Paul goes on in Philippians 4:8 to say, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Instead of filling your mind with anxious thoughts about all sorts of things that probably won’t even happen, read the Bible, listen to good Christian music, fill your mind with good thoughts.
And then finally, we end with the fruit of the Spirit. Only as the Holy Spirit changes your character from within will you finally have victory over the sin of worry. The fruit of joy and peace are especially applicable here. Proverbs 17:22 says “A joyful heart is good medicine.” Psalm 94:19 says, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.”
John 15:11 states: "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." The conclusion is this, Jesus came to help you with your problems as He wants the joy that is in Him to be our joy. And so, he can and will help you with this problem of worry.
