I don’t know if you have ever been called a “worry wart” like I have, but some of us earn that nickname more so than others.
I’m afraid I come from a long line of worriers, so, needless to say, worry has been a struggle of mine.
What Jesus Said About Worry.
That said, the Bible is clear, and the promise from Jesus Himself is clear, that we need not worry. In Matthew 6:25 and following, Jesus says:
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”
Jesus goes on to say: “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you…” (and this next part really jumps out at me) … “O you of little faith?”
Do we not realize that worrying about these incidental matters of life are actually a sign of little faith? When you think about it this way, worrying or doubting that God will provide the things He said He would provide does show a lack of faith.
Guarding Against Worry.
In James 1:5-8, we read:
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
Surely we do not want to be considered double-minded in our faith, and this is directly associated with our trust in God, and our need to not worry.
Jesus continues in Matthew chapter 6:
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
If you, like me, tend to be prone to worry, a good verse to remember is 1 Peter 5:7: “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” The English Standard Version translates that: “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
Do we trust our Lord enough to do that?
Chase Greenis a good friend that I spent some time with in preaching school - he graduated in the class before me. Chase preaches for the Marietta Church of Christ in Marietta, Oklahoma.
Chase hosts the Everyday Christian podcast with the Scattered Abroad Network. Chase also writes on Substack about his family’s travels to national parks. Read more at Park Stars.
Timely and well said! It reminded me of what Mark Twain said over 100 years ago... “I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.”
This is an on-time message. thanks for sharing.