We all have to admit that worry is a common temptation in life-for many
it is a favorite pastime. America, the most affluent society in the
world is also the most worry-filled society in the world-that is, if
spending on security, mental illnesses, and intoxicants are any
indication. Americans worry, and worry is a sin. It is neither
insignificant, nor inconsequential. And for the Christian, it is
absolutely contrary to faith Christ.
Jesus categorically prohibited worry in a familiar portion of the
Sermon on the Mount-Matthew 6:25-34. Three times in that short passage He
commanded, "Do not worry!", and the way He said it shows the
comprehensiveness of His charge. In verse 25 He acknowledges worry as a
common practice and says, "Stop worrying;" in verses 31 and 34 He uses
the same word, but in a way that means "Don't even start worrying." To
continue worrying about anything, or to start worrying in the first
place, is to violate the Lord's command.
If you worry, what kind of faith do you manifest? "Little faith,"
according to Jesus (Matt. 6:30). Now if you are a child of God, by
definition you have a Heavenly Father. To act like you don't-nervously
asking, "What shall I eat? What shall I drink? With what shall I clothe
myself?"-is to act like an unbeliever in God's eyes (vv. 31-32).
Think about it this way: Christians who worry believe God can redeem
them, break the shackles of Satan, take them from hell to heaven, put
them into His kingdom, and give them eternal life, but just don't think
He can get them through the next couple of days. That is pretty
ridiculous, isn't it? That we can believe God for the greater gift and
then stumble and not believe Him for the lesser one reveals an
embarrassing lack of faith.
The Worrier Strikes Out at God Someone might say, "Why make a big deal out of worry? It's just a trivial sin." No, it is not. I suspect a majority of mental illnesses
and some physical illnesses are directly related to worry. Many cases
of drunkenness and drug addiction are symptomatic of worry. And because of
worry, many make foolish life decisions, incurring painful
consequences.
Worry is devastating.
But more important than what worry does to you is what you are
communicating about God. When you worry you are saying in effect, "God,
I just don't think I can trust You." Worry strikes a blow at the person
and character of God.
The Worrier Disbelieves Scripture
It breaks my heart to hear some Christians claim to believe in the
inerrancy of Scripture, and then live as perpetual worriers. If you do
that, you are saying one thing out of one side of your mouth, and
another thing out of the other. It is incongruous to say how much you
believe the Bible and then worry about God fulfilling what He says in
it.
The Worrier Is Mastered by Circumstances
When you worry, you are choosing to be mastered by your circumstances
instead of by the truth of God. The vicissitudes and trials of life
pale in comparison to the greatness of salvation. Jesus wants you to realize
it doesn't make sense to believe God can save you from eternal hell,
but not help you in the practical matters of life. The Apostle Paul
reflects a similar desire in Ephesians 1:18-19: "I pray that the eyes of your
heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His
calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who
believe." When you catch yourself worrying, go back to Scripture and
let God open your eyes again.
The Worrier Distrusts God
When you worry, you are not trusting your Heavenly Father. That means
you don't know Him well enough. Take heart-there's an effective remedy:
Study the Word of God to find out who He really is and how He has
supplied the needs of His people in the past. That will build
confidence for the future. Stay fresh in the Word every day so that God is in your
mind. Otherwise Satan is apt to move into the vacuum and tempt you to
worry about something.
Let God's track record in Scripture and in your own life assure you
that worry is needless because of God's bounty, senseless because of God's
promise, useless because of its impotence to do anything productive,
and faithless because it is characteristic of unbelievers.
Worry Is Unwise Because of Our Future
Jesus said, "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow
will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matt. 6:34).
He was saying, "Don't worry about the future. Even though it will have
its share of problems, they have a way of working themselves out at the
time. Just deal with them as they come, for there's no way to solve
them in advance."
Providing for tomorrow is good, but worrying about tomorrow is sin
because God is the God of tomorrow just like He is the God of today.
Lamentations 3:23 tells us His mercies "are new every morning." He
feeds us like He fed the Children of Israel-with just enough manna for the
day.
Worrying paralyzes you, making you too upset to accomplish anything
productive. It will seek to do that to you by taking you mentally into
tomorrow until you find something to worry about. Refuse to go along
for the ride. The Lord says you have enough to deal with today. Apply
today's resources to today's needs or you will lose today's joy.
God gives you the glorious gift of life today; live in the light and
full joy of that day, using the resources God supplies. Don't push
yourself into the future and forfeit the day's joy over an anticipated
tomorrow that may never happen. Today is all you really have, for God
permits none of us to live in tomorrow until it turns into today.
Understand this: God gives you strength one day at a time. He gives you
what you need when you need it and doesn't encumber you with excess
baggage. Perhaps your worst fear is how you'd handle a loved one's
death. Let me assure you as a pastor who has kept watch over many
Christians finding themselves in that situation, this is the attitude I
most often encounter: "It is so wonderful how God has sustained me! I
naturally miss my beloved, but I feel such incredible strength and
confidence and a gladness in my heart that my loved one is with the
Lord." God gives us His grace in the hour we need it.
If we worry about the future now, we double our pain without having the
grace to deal with it.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever" (Heb.
13:8). That means He will be doing the same thing tomorrow that He was
doing yesterday. If you have any question about the future, look at the
past. Did He sustain you then? Don't worry-He will sustain you in the
future as well.
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