Story: Will’s experience at the airport:
After his return from Rome, Will couldn’t find his luggage in the airport baggage area. He went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that his bags hadn’t shown up on the carousel.
She smiled and told him not to worry because they were trained professionals and he was in good hands.
Then she asked Will, “Has your plane arrived yet?”
LOL! I believe that is great reason to start worrying, don’t you?
Allow me to start by asking you a question. What are you worrying about? What do you worry about? Think about it…
Its is said;
“Most of the things you worry about never happen.”
“Worry is as useless as a handle on a snowball.” ~ Mitzi Chandler
Why is it that we worry? What is in us that causes us to worry.
“Worry is thoughts, images and emotions of a negative nature in which mental attempts are made[vague] to avoid anticipated potential threats[i]. As an emotion it is experienced as anxiety or concern about a real or imagined issue, usually personal issues such as health or finances or broader ones such as environmental pollution and social or technological change.”[ii]
The truth is we all, at some point, worry. There are two kinds of worrying:
- If we worry too much, it can kill us.
- But sometimes worrying can be healthy. When managed correctly, it can be used to motivate us to do something about it.
Dr. Edward Hallowell, psychiatrist and author of Worry, argues that while "Worry serves a productive function", "anticipatory and dangerous" worrying—which he calls "toxic worry"--can be harmful for your mental and physical health. He claims that "Toxic worry is when the worry paralyzes you," whereas "Good worry leads to constructive action" such as taking steps to resolve the issue that is causing concern.[iii].
5 effects of toxic worry:
- “It will damage your health.
- Cause the object of your worry to consume your thoughts.
- Disrupt your productivity.
- Negatively affect the way you treat others.
- Reduce your ability to trust in God.” (Life application Bible)
Proverbs 12:25) Worry can rob you of happiness, but kind words will cheer you up.
Now Jesus taught on worrying and he gives us words and a game plan to cheer us up.
In our text, Jesus was referring to the kind of worry that cause anxiety and stress, the kind that paralyzes you, not the subtle kind of worry that produces productivity.
Context: Matthew 6:25-34
- Jesus starts teaching about ‘worry’ just after he teaches on ‘money’. It’s important to know that he ends his previous teaching with, “You cannot serve both God and Money” (vs24).
- Jesus is making a point that our focus should not be on material things, which are temporary, but we need to have our minds reprogrammed to focus on eternal things - because that is what matters!
- Then he moves into this teaching about “Worrying”. It’s not by accident that Jesus chooses to speak about worrying after the money topic, because money is probably one of the biggest causes of worry in our lives.
- So Jesus is painting a very vivid picture of a show-down between two giant characters in the story of humanity; God and Money. Of which God is far more superior – Jesus tells us. He uses money to represent the ultimate stress, but it shadows in comparison to God.
- And this is what Jesus has to say about it… specifically about worrying and how we are to deal with it.
Text: Matthew 6: 25 – 34
25 “Therefore I tell you, 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?
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?
27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin.
29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these.
30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Is Jesus saying that we don’t have to do anything anymore, that all we have to do is believe in God’s provision for us? No, not at all. If we look at the illustration of the birds, we are told that God takes care of them, but he doesn’t say that they stayed in their nests and God miraculously appeared with worms to feed them. They still have to search for it! So, no, we still need to be responsible to also search for that provision that God has prepared for us. What is forbidden here is worry, not responsibility[iv].
Jesus is saying that whatever it is that is the biggest worry in our life is nothing compared to what God can do. God is far great than our worries. This is the point that Jesus wants us to grasp – No matter what we worry about, God is bigger! God is able to provide and God wants to provide! If God takes care of the birds, how much more does He want to take care of us? After all, Jesus refers to God as what? … “your heavenly Father” (v32). “The proper attitude then is to put God first (vs33) and to trust him for our practical needs.”[v]
So now we are faced with a decision: Worry or Trust God? We cannot do both.
So let’s have a look at how the Bible describes our Heavenly Father, so that it will help us to start trusting God completely: (we sung this before the sermon)… It’s packed with who God is and what He wants for us…
Psalm 23
| The Lord is my Shepherd | = That's Relationship! |
| I shall not want | = That's Supply! |
| He maketh me to lie down in green pastures | = That's Rest! |
| He leadeth me beside the still waters | = That's Refreshment! |
| He restoreth my soul | = That's Healing! |
| He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness | = That's Guidance! |
| For His name sake | = That's Purpose! |
| Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death | = That's Testing! |
| I will fear no evil | = That's Protection! |
| For Thou art with me | = That's Faithfulness! |
| Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me | = That's Discipline! |
| Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies
| = That's Hope! |
| Thou anointeth my head with oil | = That's Consecration! |
| My cup runneth over | = That's Abundance! |
| Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
| = That's Blessing ! |
| And I will dwell in the house of the Lord | = That's Security! |
| Forever | = That's Eternity! |
If this is what Our Father in heaven is capable of providing for us, shouldn’t we be more motivated to trust him with everything, except choosing to worry? Surely so!
Jesus tells us, this is your heavenly Father and he wants to give you all these things. So why are you worrying?
Well, worry comes in when we forget this about God and when we forget to trust God; especially when we don’t practice our trusting in our Heavenly Father.
Philippians 4:6) Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart.
This is the answer that forms the foundation on how to deal with worrying.
It says;
The first thing to do is Pray = “In ALL your prayers”, tell God what you need, then follow up those requests with thankfulness. For example: if you are worried about a certain situation, you must pray like this;
“My Heavenly Father” - (because Jesus said he is and we need to remind ourselves of that fact), “I am worried about (something)… but thank you Father that you are in control and know what is best for me. Thank you for caring for me and thank you that I can trust you. Amen”.
By praying like this, we are actually putting our trust in Our Father. We cannot worry and trust God completely. We need to trust God.
Pray, and let God worry. ~ Martin Luther
I'm going to ask you to pray in a second. I will give you a few moments to give it a shot…
- Remember who God is and what he wants for you;
- Tell him what’s on your heart;
- Then thank Him for being bigger than your worries and that you can trust him because He is completely in control.
[Pray now… (2min).]
How different do you feel now by praying about your worry and putting your trust in God? Doesn’t it make your worries seem so small when you trust God?
Psalm 37:5 “Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in him, and he will act.”
Whatever you do, especially when you worry about something, take it to God straightaway in prayer and trust him. When you do, he says he will act.
Why carry the unsettling worry when we can rather be filled with peace? A peace in knowing that God is in control. When worry starts creeping up, pray and trust God as soon as possible!
Whenever you worry, remember: “Worry = bad, prayer = good!”
Jesus also instructs us what to do, in vs 33 - But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
In other words, don’t worry about stuff. Make sure you trust God and focus on what God wants, and everything will work out fine.
Story: Peter going to Court:
One of my best friends is a guy by the name of Peter. One day, Peter received a notice to appear in court for an unpaid speeding fine in Pretoria. When the court date arrived, Peter was so busy that day that he forgot to appear in court. He then received a summons to appear in court by the judge for another date.
This obviously made him worry and he started thinking about excuses that he could tell the judge on his court day.
After praying about it, Peter decided that he would tell the truth and simply trust God for whatever happens.
The court date arrived and Peter presented himself before the judge. The judged called him forward and told Peter to make his case. Peter said to the judge, “I'm sorry that I didn’t appear in court when was supposed to, but I forgot all about it.”
Peter said the judge was indignant when he asked him, “How can you forget about being summoned to court? Do you know I can have you arrested for this?”.
Peter replied, “Sir, I am a Christian. I came here to tell you the truth and not to conjure up a lie to try and get out of it. The truth is, I did forget. And I’d rather be truthful in the eyes of God and receive punishment, than to tell you a lie to get out of trouble and sin against God.”
The judge thanked Peter for his integrity and dismissed him threw out the case.
Despite what Peter had to face, he chose to be obedient to God and God acted.
You see, like Peter, when we face something that could potentially not end well for us, we have the option to either trust God or worry about it.
But we mustn’t only trust God, we MUST become proactive and allow God to lead us to manage what is worrying us.
'Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet.'
Proverbs 3: 5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will direct your paths. (we must move)
These are some very practical tips on how to deal with worry:
“The 5 steps:
1. Never worry alone
Don't get isolated and become the passive victim. When you're connected and brainstorming with someone else, you tend to come up with solutions.
2. Get the facts
"Toxic worry is usually based on either lack of information or wrong information," Hallowell said. Don't worry about what if, as Dr. Shapiro noted, worry about what is.
3. Make a plan
Once you have the facts, make a plan and take action. Don't worry about whether the plan works or not, Hallowell said that life is about revising plans. You're much better to be active, he said, noting that toxic worry loves a passive victim. Stay in the active mode.
4. Take care of your brain (and soul)
"If you're not in good shape brain-wise, you're going to be prone to getting rattled and worried," he said. "What do I mean by take care of your brain? Obvious steps. Get enough sleep. Physical exercise...one of the best anti-anxiety agents ever."
Also, maintain a proper diet. Don't self-medicate with a lot of carbs, junk food, alcohol, drugs, etc. He also mentioned that prayer and meditation.
And finally, regular doses of positive human contact. It's good to get a smile, a hug or a warm pat on the back.
5. Let it go
This is the hard one for toxic worriers.
"At least you can practice letting it go," Hallowell said. "Head in that direction. A lot of toxic worriers do just the opposite. They gather their worries unto them. They say ‘Where are my worries, come back,' almost as if they fell unsafe without them."
Hallowell said you shouldn't try to let your worries go until you've handled the first four steps, but once you have, it's definitely in your best interests.
"You don't want to carry the weight of the world," he said. "It slows you down at work, it slows you down in relationships, it's bad for your health physically.””[vi]
These skills, starting with proper prayer and putting our trust in God, will help you manage your worries correctly and you will find motivation to do something about them.
Here are “7 Reasons not to worry:
- The same God who created life in you can be trusted with the details of your life. (25)
- Worrying about the future hampers your efforts today. (26)
- Worrying is more harmful than helpful. (27)
- God does NOT ignore those who depend on him. (28-30)
- Worry shows lack of faith in and understanding of God (31, 32)
- There are real challenges God wants us to pursue, and worrying keeps us from them. (33)
- Living one day at a time keeps us being consumed with worry. (34)”[vii]
By trusting God, you stop being the victim and start living in victory.
So whatever you are worrying about or will worry about. Take it to God, trust him, and everything will work out.
Don’t worry. Rather Trust! God know what’s best.
[i] Borkovec TD. (2002). Living in a state of worry can cause anxiety, and depression, as well as ruin the present. "Worry does take the pain out of tomorrow, it causes one to be prepared today." -Anonymous. Life in the future versus life in the present. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice 9, 76–80.
[ii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worry#cite_note-Finding_Flow-1
[iii] 5 steps to control worry
[iv] (Inter-Varsity Press, 1998, p. 913)
[v] (Inter-Varsity Press, 1998, p. 913)
[vi] http://www.canadianliving.com/health/mind_and_spirit/5_steps_to_control_your_worry.php
[vii] (Tyndale and Zondervan, 1997, p. 1659)
