Let me ask you a couple questions… do you toss and turn throughout the night? Do you have a hard time getting your thoughts to quiet down at night? Is your stomach in knots most of the time? Do you have troubling thoughts that just won’t go away? If you answered yes to any of these, it could be worry. Worrying is a natural response but it’s not a biblical response. In fact, Jesus and the apostle Paul addressed worry. Jesus asked… “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life” (Matthew 6:27). And the apostle told his congregation “Don’t worry about anything” (Philippians 4:6).
The dictionary defines worry like this: “to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret.” I understand that the giants you are up against are huge, big, and intimidating. I understand that you love your family and you want the best for them. I understand that you want peace but all you feel right now is stress. Things are beyond your control. Things are not going well for you. God understands that too. But can you honestly say that worrying makes it better? No! In fact, worrying makes it worse.
The footnote in my NLT study Bible gives several ill effects of worry: 1) worry may damage your health; 2) worry can disrupt your productivity; 3) worry can negatively affect the way you treat others; 4) worry will rob your day of joy; and 5) worry will reduce your ability to trust in God. No wonder Jesus and Paul both told us not to worry. Worry never solves the problem.
Here’s what we need to remember… God is still God, He’s still seated on the throne, and He’s still in control. He is the Master of the Universe and the Master of your life. With that said… is it okay to be concerned? Yes. Worry immobilizes you, but concern moves you to action. Hence, worry keeps us from God but concern brings us to God. It strengthens our faith, helps us to trust and lean on God, the One who can turn any bad situation into a good one. Sometimes it takes a while, but we must keep coming and be patient.
So what is the remedy for worry? Jesus said to “Seek first the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need right now” (Matthew 6:33). In other words, go to Jesus first… open His Word and let Him speak to you. And then Jesus will give you what you NEED… it doesn’t say that in that instant the situation will be resolved, but right now, you may need peace, joy, comfort, or assurance. Those things are more valuable than our circumstances to turn around, don’t you agree?
And Paul says that rather than worry, “Pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6). Did you notice that being thankful is part of the solution? Learn to be thankful. Take some time right now to thank Him for what He’s doing. He goes on to say that when we put this principle into practice, “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ” (Philippians 4:7).
Now, isn’t this much better than worrying? Let’s turn our worry into concern and act upon that concern by putting His Kingdom first, living biblically, telling God everything you need, and being thankful. I pray this message encouraged you today.