Questions to Confront Worry

When babies are born, they don’t spend any time worrying about where their clothes, food, and shelter are going to come from. They are completely dependent upon those taking care of them. They fully expect that when they cry, Mom or Dad is going to take care of their need. Well, we live in world full of worries and concerns and it’s not getting any better. As a matter of fact, anxiety is getting worse and more common among people today. We worry, a lot. We worry about what we’ll eat tomorrow yet we don’t remember what we ate last week. We worry about keeping up with the trends, or about what people think of us. We worry about hypothetical scenarios that we come up with in our mind and stress about them even though they may never happen. We worry about what we’re going to do after we finish high school, if we’ll go straight to work or to college or if we’ll even get into the college we’ve dreamed of.

The thing is, every one of us who lifts their eyes up from the distractions of this life to think for just a moment experiences worry and with that being the case, we come together today to ask the Bible how to confront this cancer of the mind. And as we do that, we will find ourselves here in Matthew 6:25-34 where we read,

Matthew 6:25–34 NKJV

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

As we look at this passage together today, I want us to pick up four questions to confront worry in our daily lives. Just like a baby knows that his parents will respond when he cries, Jesus teaches us that if we’ll focus on Him, He’ll take care of the rest. Now, at the outset, I want to say that Jesus isn’t teaching that we should just sit in a dark room all the time praying and reading and expect food and clothes to show up magically, instead He is equipping us with truths that will walk with us as we work, or farm, or shop or do anything. So, when you find yourself confronted with worry, consider, number one:

What’s more impressive, the creation of life or the provision of food and clothes? (25)

CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 6

Isn’t life more than food is a rabbinic style of argument. It reasons that if God does a greater thing for us, he will also do lesser things. Specifically, if God created you (the greater accomplishment), he is certainly capable of feeding you (a lesser accomplishment).

Whenever you find yourself struggling with doubt concerning the provisions of God in your daily life, open your eyes and admire the fact that life itself is even possible. If God is able to create this world which is perfectly placed just far enough from the sun so we don’t freeze or burn, if He’s able to create air for us to breath and bodies that work, then He is able to take care of the worries that you’re so concerned about.

What’s more important, the birds or those who bear God’s image? (26)

Jesus is turning things around a little bit here from the last illustration. In our last point, He wanted us to know that if God can create something as great as life, then He is certainly able to take care of your needs. But now, He wants you to look at the birds and think, “Wow, if God cares enough to take care of these birds, He will certainly take care of me who bears His image.”

Guys, we bear the image of God. We are the crowning glory of the Earth. And not only this, but Jesus, the Son of God, came and died for us. If God would robe Himself in flesh and die for our salvation, surely He cares enough to care for us, to soothe our griefs, and to provide for us when He sees we need it. As a matter of fact, Jesus says, in Matthew 6:32

Matthew 6:32 NKJV

32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

Gloria Furman speaks of a time when she and her family had traveled to the Middle East to help plant a church. At this time, they had been in Dubai for only a couple of days during the celebration of Ramadan. They were new to the community and not entirely certain where they were supposed to be going. After driving around most of the day, they were frustrated, lost, and weary. Gloria was overwhelmed by anxiety. As they pulled over to fill up their gas tank, she reflected, “Watching the numbers tick by on the gas pump, my anxious thoughts multiplied within me. Lord, how are we going to do anything here? We can’t even get a simple errand done much less help start a church. Lord, how? How? The cares of my heart were interrupted by something I saw out of the corner of my eye. Walking into the fast food joint next door was a man wearing a pair of unique sunglasses. It was Rick, the one man we knew in a city of nearly 2 million people. Was I seeing a desert mirage? Of all the places in the city for us to have a meltdown, the Lord ordained it to be a block away from our friend’s house when he had a craving for take-out. We cheered and thanked the Lord for his providence and grace. Rick led us to his house where he fed us, encouraged us in the Lord, and sorted out some of our errands. Some of us even dozed off on his couch.” God can provide, even when it all hope appears to be lost (Gloria Furman, “God’s Promise and a Petrol Station,” The Gospel Coalition, April 16, 2013)

What’s more insignificant than worrying about what we can’t change? (27-30)

Here, Jesus wants us to know that all the worrying in the world won’t add any time to your life. As a matter of fact, plenty of studies show that constant anxiety is extremely harmful to the body. And it is here that Jesus lifts our eyes to look at a flower in the field, He wants us to think about how pretty they are and He says, “They don’t work hard to be that pretty, and even King Solomon, the richest king Israel ever had, could never be dressed as beautiful as they are.” and then He says, “If God can make a flower, which at that time would be plucked up and thrown into ovens to help stoke fires, that pretty. Surely He will take care of you.”

Are you worrying about things that are out of your control? Are you worried about events that you’ve created in your mind that may never even really happen? Jesus wants us to look around us and see that our God is great and He is able to take care of you.

What’s more irrational than forgetting the greatness of our heavenly Father? (30-34)

Imagine showing up to a business to pick up something you left there—your credit card or glasses, for instance. However, someone you don’t know is waiting for you at the door. They tell you not to go in but instead to go away, right away, even though it is normal business hours. What would you do? Now imagine that same scenario, but parked out front is a SWAT vehicle, and the person at the door is in uniform. Now when they tell you what to do, you immediately listen! They have the authority! Or maybe you notice a spot on your shoulder that you’ve thought nothing of. Your friends or spouse said it was nothing to worry about. However, your dermatologist says you should get it removed right away. Who do you listen to? The dermatologist, who speaks with authority, of course!

Well, as we look at this passage today, someone a lot more important than a doctor or an officer is talking to us and He is telling us to trust in Him, to rest in Him, and to focus on Him. He reminds us here that God is our Heavenly Father. When we say that we should remember that the word, “Heavenly” communicates that He is higher than anything on Earth. He’s greater than my highest highs and my lowest lows, He’s more powerful than any concern and more glorious than any accomplishment and not only is He great, but He is my Father. Jesus is telling us not to behave like lost people, who have no hope, but to live like you know that God is in charge and because of that, we can focus on Him.

I love this illustration that I read the other day:

Anxiety can feel like an enemy we’re trying to escape. David was well acquainted with being chased down by his enemy. We know he fled from Saul (1 Samuel 19:1–12) and from Absalom (2 Samuel 15:13–23). He describes God as a “refuge,” “strong tower,” and place of shelter. When anxiety rushes in, we can run to our safe place. In earthquake-prone areas, students have earthquake drills and are instructed to get under their desks or a sturdy table because that is the safest place they can be. A mild earthquake will still shake the world around you. Books, pencils, maybe even a light fixture might fall, but you are covered by your desk. Things may seem like they are falling all around us, but God is our safe place when they do. (https://illustrationideas.bible/our-safe-place/)