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 Various Scriptures

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called, “Lord, I Have a Problem,” and in this series we are looking at how God helps you with your problems. So far, we have looked at the problems of anger and envy. Today we come to the problem of worry. How does God help you with the problem of worry? (Read Psalm 139:23-24 and pray.)

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I like the story of the 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 $200,000 a year. After the man accepted the job, his first question to his new boss was, “Where are you going to get $200,000 per year?” To which the man responded, “That’s for you to worry about, not me!”

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 someone else. You can’t out-source worry, but with God’s help you can over-come it. So, how does God help you with the problem of worry?

I. The problem of worry (Psalm 139:23-24; Ecclesiastes 11:10)

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” (Ps. 139:23-24). Ecclesiastes 11:10 says you should “banish anxiety from your heart.” In other words, God recognizes that our worrying is a problem, and he wants you and me to be worry free. So why is worrying such a problem?

   A. Worry robs you of your joy (Romans 15:13)

First of all, worrying is a problem because it robs you of your joy. 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” (Rom. 15:13). God wants to fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him but worry robs you of your joy.

David Sunday reminds us 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.” Corrie ten Boom wisely observed: “Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength—carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” That’s the first problem with worrying. Worry robs you of your joy.

   B. Worry makes you unfruitful (Matthew 13:22; Luke 21:34)

Secondly, worry makes you unfruitful. Jesus told the parable about the seed that was sown among the thorns—which then 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” (Matt. 13:22). 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 warns us in Luke 21: “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” (Luke 21:34). The day Jesus was talking about is the day of his return. God has put us to work in his kingdom, and we are to be fruitful servants. But if you allow yourself to be weighed down with the anxieties of life, you will not be fruitful for God, and the day of Christ’s coming will catch you unawares.

   C. Worry doesn’t accomplish anything (Psalm 127:2; Matthew 6:27)

A third reason why worrying is such a problem is because it does not accomplish anything. Psalm 127 tells us: “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves” (Ps. 127:2). It paints a picture of the person who is so worried about the basics of life that he spends the whole day working and the whole night worrying.

Do know the most common time people report that they worry? The most common time for worrying 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 a thing. He wants to take those worries away and give you sleep instead.

Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere. Take something you’re worried about right now, whatever it is. If it’s something you can change, then there is no need to worry. Start working on changing it. If it’s something you can’t change, then there is no use worrying. Because worry is not going to change it either. Jesus said: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matt. 6:27). The answer is, “No one!” Why? Because worrying doesn’t accomplish anything.

   D. Worry shows a lack of trust in God (Isaiah 26:3-4)

And then the final reason why worrying is a problem is because it shows a lack of trust in God. Isaiah 26 says: “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you” (Isa. 26:3-4). You cannot trust God and worry at the same time. The two are mutually exclusive. If you’re trusting God, you’re not worrying. If you’re worrying, you’re not trusting God.

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 the Bible tells us: “Everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23). When you trust God, you don’t need to worry about worrying. Worry shows a lack of trust in God.

Now there are some extreme cases of worry that we can’t deal with in today’s message. Sometimes worry comes in the form of panic attacks, or nervous breakdowns, various phobias, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorders), GAD (generalized 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 these cases, your worry may not be sin so much as a condition that needs help. You may need counseling or medical attention. However, if you follow the biblical instructions for worry that we will be sharing in this message, I believe it will help you even with these more extreme cases of worry.

II. Understanding worry

So, we’ve talked about the problem of worry in our lives. Let’s dig a little deeper now and see what we can understand about worry from a biblical perspective.

   A. Worry vs. godly concern (1 Corinthians 7:32, 12:25; 2 Corinthians 11:28; Philippians 2:20)

First of all, we need to understand the difference between worrying and godly concern. So far in our series we have seen that there is such a thing as righteous anger and godly jealousy. There is also such a thing as godly concern.

When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about marriage and singleness, he shared with them some examples of godly concern. He wrote: “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” (1 Cor. 7:32). 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 the same book Paul wrote to the church: “There should be no division in the body, but … its parts should have equal concern for each other” (1 Cor. 12:25). And then he wrote to the Philippians about Timothy: “I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare” (Phil. 2:20). Once again, the word that is 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 Paul writes: “I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:28). Paul uses a different word for concern here. It’s a word that speaks of “care or responsibility,” which gives us another insight into godly concern.

So, what is godly concern, and how is it different from worrying? I would define godly concern as follows. Godly concern is “a genuine, attentive care that results in positive, responsible action.” That’s so much different than the useless spinning of our wheels that takes place when we worry. We need to care for people. Worry is no good, but neither is apathy. We need to exercise a godly concern for our own lives and for the lives of those around us.

   B. What do we worry about? (Matthew 6:25-34)

Next, what do we worry about when we worry? When surveyed, the top four things people said they worried about were relationships, work, finances, and health. Let’s talk about each of these for a moment.

First of all, relationships. We all worry about relationships. If you’re married, you worry about your spouse. If you’re single or dating, you worry about relationships that you either may or may not have. If you’re a parent, you worry about your children. Then, 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 looked at earlier—but we need to stop worrying about the people in our lives. God is in control. You can trust him.

Secondly, we worry about work. We worry when we have work, and we really worry when we don’t. We worry about tasks, projects, deadlines, bosses and co-workers—and it can all become overwhelming at times.

Thirdly, we worry about finances—a lot! 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—while the poor just worry about having enough for tomorrow. And those of us in between? We worry about making the finances stretch to the end of the month, wondering if we’ll ever get ahead.

And then fourthly, we all worry about health a lot. Sometimes we worry about actual health problems; sometimes we worry about potential health problems; sometimes we worry about imagined 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 when 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” (Matt. 6:25,31-32).

What do we worry about? Relationships, work, finances and health all strike us at our greatest areas of need, and so these are things we worry about the most.

   C. Why do we worry?
Next, why do we worry? There are basically three reasons.

      1) We don’t know the future

Number one, we don’t know the future. We don’t know what is going to happen. We don’t know how things will turn out. 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.

      2) We can’t solve all our problems

A second reason why we worry is because we can’t solve all our problems. If it were something we could fix or change, we could get busy 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 natural worriers, so we go ahead and worry anyways.

      3) We can’t be everywhere at once

A third reason why we worry is because we can’t be everywhere at once. Our children are away at school—we can’t be there with them, and so we worry. Our spouse is late coming home—we haven’t heard from them, we don’t know where they are, so we worry. Or here’s a big one. We worry about what will happen to our loved ones if we die. Why? Because if we’re gone, we can no longer be there with them to help and support them.

So, we worry because we don’t know the future, we worry because we can’t solve all our problems, and 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.

That’s when we need to remember that although we are finite, God is not. 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 all the time. That’s why instead of worrying you can trust God. God is all-knowing, he is all-powerful, he is all-present. And so, you can trust him to take care of all things.

III. Dealing with worry

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.

   1) Know that you have a heavenly Father (Matthew 6:26)

First of all, know that you have a heavenly Father. When you trust Jesus as your Savior, God adopts you into his family. Jesus said in Matthew 6: “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?” (Matt. 6:26). God is not just a God who is way up there. He is your heavenly Father who loves you and takes care of you. He takes care of the birds of the air. Will he not also take care of you?

   2) Trust in God (Psalm 139:16; John 14:1,27; 1 Peter 5:7)

Secondly, trust in God. 1 Peter 5 tells us: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). 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 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: “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16)

Jerry Bridges suggests taking this verse and turning it into the following prayer: “Lord, this circumstance is part of your plan for my life today. Help me to respond in faith and in a God-honoring way to your providential will. And then please give me wisdom to know how to address the situation” (Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins)

God is in control, and we need to trust him with our circumstances. 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.” (Letters of John Newton) Remember, the reason you worry is because you are finite. But God is infinite. You can trust him.

   3) Learn to live in the present (Matthew 6:33-34)

Thirdly, learn to live in the present. Jesus said in Matthew 6: “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” (Matt. 6:33-34). When you seek God’s kingdom first, God promises to take care of everything else. You don’t need to worry about tomorrow, because God has it all under control.

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “It is folly to think the Lord provides grace for every trouble but the one you are in today.” O.S. Hawkins reminds us, “Worry will not empty tomorrow of its trials, but it will empty today of its triumphs!” Or as Mark Twain slyly put it, “I’ve had many troubles in life, most of which never happened.”

You need to learn to live in the present. Don’t let the worries of tomorrow rob you of your joy in Christ today.

   4) Pray about it (Philippians 4:6-7)

Fourthly, pray about it. Philippians 4 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” (Phil. 4:6-7). That’s a pretty good trade. You give God all your worries and requests, and he gives you his peace instead. Prayer makes all the difference.

There’s an old song that goes, “Why worry, when you can pray?” That’s a good question! Pray about it, and God’s peace will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

   5) Fill your mind with good thoughts (Philippians 4:8)

Number five, fill your mind with good thoughts. Paul goes on in Philippians 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” (Phil. 4:8). Instead of filling your mind with anxious thoughts about all sorts of things that probably won’t even happen, read your Bible, listen to good Christian music and fill your mind with good thoughts.

   6) Grow in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
      – especially joy and peace (Psalm 94:19; Proverbs 17:22)

And then finally, just like last week, 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. I like that song with the chorus that goes, “Don’t worry, be happy!” But I would amend it to say, “Don’t worry, be joyful!” 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.”

CONCLUSION: Worry will rob you of your joy. Worry will make you unfruitful. Worry doesn’t accomplish anything. And worry shows a lack of trust in God. There is a better way. Jesus came to help you with your problems. And he will help you with this problem of worry.

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Some helpful resources for dealing with worry:

Anger, Anxiety and Fear: A Biblical Perspective, by Stuart Scott (especially directed to men)

Anxious for Nothing: God’s Cure for the Cares of Your Soul, by John Macarthur

Breaking the Worry Habit…Forever!: God’s Plan for Lasting Peace of Mind, Elizabeth George

Can I Have Joy in My Life?, by R.C. Sproul

How to Handle Your Emotions, by June Hunt

Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety, by Elyse Fitzpatrick (especially directed to women)

Respectable Sins, by Jerry Bridges

Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest, by Edward T. Welch

Worry: Pursuing a Better Path to Peace, by David Powlison

© Ray Fowler

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