Why Worry?

Worry...

I am a worrier. I don’t know if you are, but I’m just gonna lay that out there on the table now. For most of my life—and this came out very strongly in my first year away from home—I have been worried constantly. All day, everyday—always worried about something. Always having those anxious thoughts about what needs to be done and how it is going to get done. I’ve worried about school work, about time with my family, about paying for school, about getting everything done on my checklist for the day, and about my time with God. I get so stressed out. I even get worried that I worry too much!...Phew…I think it’s time for a deep breath!”

Whenever I get worried, people will always tell me, “Don’t worry, God will take care of it. Give it all to Him.” I've always thought "yeah, yeah, yeah...I know." That's what I'm supposed to do, right? I am a Christian after all...so I guess I could try...or at least say that I try. But I don’t think I ever really understood what it means to trust God with everything in my life until I heard a message from Pastor Andy Stanley. His message was called “Why Worry?” As I was watching this sermon on TV, I realized that I have been living as a believer who really has little faith.

Now, why would I say that? Well, let’s look at Matthew 6. Verse 31 says, “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers…”
What is Jesus saying about worry? There are so many things to worry about. But is He just making a list of possible worries? No, He is talking about our response to these pressing things. He is saying that if we are spending so much of our time devoted to stressing out about these things, even important things, then our lives look no different than the lives of unbelievers. Our culture today is so wrapped up in being worried about life, that we have to be doing “this or that” just to relieve our stress and worry. We all think that if we try and try and try, our stress and our worry will go away...or maybe we think that science can fix it. But in reality, that only makes it so much worse. We are just adding to our baggage. But we don’t have to.

Jesus says that responses to should be drastically different than those of the world’s responses. When we walk with Him, we should be remarkably and visibly different: “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true” Ephesians 5:8-9. Our reactions should be so drastically different that people should wonder why we aren’t worried. They might ask why aren’t you freaking out or why you aren’t scared about what is going to happen. Believers and unbelievers have no control over the future and but unbelievers do not believe that there is someone who does. So they try and try to fix their problems, and only cause themselves stress and worry in trying to control their lives. According to the world everyone should worry! I mean, why not? There is confusion, suffering, and chaos around the world and even in our own homes. We all face the same things. “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience…” 1 Corinthians 10:13

But the believer should know different. Our reaction is our opportunity to shine the light of our Lord.We don’t have to worry. This is because called us to do something unbelievers won’t—to TRUST Him. He said, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” Romans 12:2.

The difference for the believer is that we know (He says it right here)“… your heavenly Father already knows all your needs” Matthew 6:32b. He already knows that you need to feed your family. He knows that you need a job. He knows ALL you need. Do you really believe that? He knows! Doesn’t that give you amazing comfort and peace in knowing that God knows? He’s taking care of our problems, He’ll worry about it. He’s got all of it as a part of His plan.

So we don’t have to worry about it! We must have faith in our God. We have to believe and trust that He knows. We have to have faith enough to say, “I really believe that I have a God knows what I need. He knows about my ________. He knows I need __________. I am confident that God knows about that. So I’m not going to worry.”

The Solution

The solution to our worry is redirecting our devotion. At the end of Matthew 6, Jesus tells us to “Seek first the Kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need” Matthew 6:33. As long as we are devoted to all the things we worry about (jobs, a house, money, kids, school) above God, worry will continue to plague our lives. Worry will never go away. We have to put ourselves second. We must seek the will of the Lord admist the craziness of life. We must surrender everything to Him and trust that He is going to take care of it. We have to have peace and know that He is God. We have to seek Him. Tell Him what you need, and surrender your wants and needs to Him, and then trust your Almighty God and His will. “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. On earth as it is in heaven.”

What to Do?

All we can do, is do what a friend once told me: “Give God your best and He will take care of the rest.” Next time you a worry comes to your mind ask yourself this: “Did I give it my best? Did I do everything that I possibly could do? Will I trust God with what I can’t control?” We have to do our part and trust that God will take care of us. And He will. “For I have great plans for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

When we put our trust in Him for every future moment—for every worry in our lives—then we come to a place where we have “a peace that surpasses all understanding.” When I got my mind and my heart wrapped around that—when I gave all my worries to God—I found a peace that I hadn’t had in a long time. He has it all in His hands. My mighty God is going to take care of me—so I’m good! I don’t need to worry. “Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Instead of stressing out, turn your worry into a prayer of surrender to God. My prayer went something like this, “God you know that I need to see my family, but I don’t know how I’m going to get home. God you know that sometimes I don’t know what to say. God you know that I don’t know how I’m going to pay for groceries next semester. But God, in spite of it all, I give all of it to you. There is nothing that I can do now. But I trust that you are going to work all these things out. Thank you for being there for me. While I wait I will sit at the foot of Your throne.”

And besides, worrying is a waste of time—a waste of the precious gift of life God has given you. Can worrying change your situation? Will it make anything better? I think not. “Can all your worries add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 6:27

Check out Andy Stanley's sermon. It's a 3 part sermon (but this is only part 2)! You can find the other two episodes on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=why+worry+andy+stanley&aq=0



So let’s put our trust and hope in the one who is always faithful!

Kasey