How to Win the War with Worry

Psalm 37:1–2 (ESV)

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.

Psalm 37:3–4 (ESV)

Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:5–7 (ESV)

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

Did you know that we are in a war today.? And, it is a spiritual war, and many times the battle is for the mind. And, the devil wants to intimidate you; the devil wants to harass you. And, even though you may be a child of God, he still has the ability, if you allow him to do so, to corrupt your mind. And, many of the children of God today are going around with worries. And, they’re fretting, and they’re stewing. Now, the Bible here speaks of “evil doers,” but I want to tell you, that these evil workers are not your enemy, “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood.” (Ephesians 6:12) Your mother-in-law is not your problem. Your husband is not your problem. Your neighbors are not your problem. Your employer is not your problem. Your problem is that we are in a spiritual war, and the devil is behind your worry.

Now, you know, so many people think that, when they get saved, that’ll be the end of their troubles. You see, before you got saved, you were in collusion with the devil. After you’ve gotten saved, you’re in collision with the devil. He’s going to see to it that you have difficulties, and he’s not finished working on you. If he had the audacity to attack and tempt the Lord Jesus, don’t you think, certainly, he’s going to work on you, too?

people are prone to worry.

Now, this Bible says, “Fret not.” (Psalm 37:1, 7) That’s a command. I suppose, perhaps, it’s the most broken command in all of the Bible—the one that tells us not to fret, the one that tells us not to worry. It seems to be America’s favorite indoor sport. We worry because the Stock Market’s up or the Stock Market’s down, the interest rates are up or the interest rates are down, our blood pressure is up or our blood pressure is down. We just seem to worry and fret about so many kinds of things. The ignorant fret because they don’t know enough. Those who are intelligent fret because they know so much. The poor man frets because he doesn’t have any money. The rich man frets because he’s afraid everybody is going to get his. And, we just, all of us, tend to worry, and it doesn’t make any difference who we are. And yet, did you know that Jesus Christ had more to say about worry, and about anxiety, and about fret, and about fear than any other subject? Did you know that—that He constantly was warning us about not worrying?

1. Worry is useless.

Now, why? Why should we not fret? Well, friend, the best thing we can say about it is that it’s absolutely useless. Jesus said, Matthew 6:27

Matthew 6:27 ESV

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

It does no good. Worrying never solved a problem. Worry never lifted a burden. Worry never dried a tear. The best thing you can say about it is that it’s useless.

2. Worry is harmful.

But, wait a minute—it is more than useless; it is absolutely harmful. We look down on drug addicts, alcoholics, but worry can be even more harmful to you and your body.

3. Worry is contagious.

And, not only is it harmful to you; it’s harmful to others. Did you know that worry is contagious? It’s like your second hand smoke! I mean, there are people who just go around spreading gloom, and when they walk into a room, it seems like somebody turned the lights out. Do you know what I’m talking about? Not only is it harmful to the one who’s doing it, but it’s harmful to those around.

4. Worry is a wound in the heart of God.

But listen, that’s not the greatest harm of worry. Worry is a wound in the heart of God. Worry is a disgrace to God. Worry is a way of saying, “Lord, you’re not able” You know, He said that He cares for us. He’s going to take care of us. He’s going to meet every need. But, when we worry, we say, “God, I don’t believe that.”

Suppose you were to come home—and, those of you who have little children in your home—to find your daughter, your son, off in a corner sniffling and crying, hands trembling, face blanched with fear, eyes red from weeping. And, the little thing is trembling like a little bird in a storm, and you say, “Darling, what’s wrong? Did somebody hurt you? What’s wrong, dear?” “No.” “Well, what’s wrong?” “Well, I was just wondering, are we going to have anything to eat tonight and tomorrow? Maybe we’re going to starve to death.” “No, darling, you’re not going to starve. Daddy’s going to take care of you. Momma’s fixing supper.” “But, maybe we won’t have a bed to sleep in tonight.” “No, darling, we’ll have a bed. We’ll have a place to stay.” “Maybe I won’t have clothes to wear to school tomorrow.” “No, darling, Daddy will see to it that you have clothes.” I mean, wouldn’t it be a wound in your heart if day after day your child did not have enough confidence in you as a father or as a mother that you would meet and take care of their needs?

And indeed, we’re human, and indeed, in some ways, we may fail. But, what a worry—what a grief—it must be to the heart of God when we act like God cannot feed us, and God cannot clothe us, and God cannot house us. What an insult it is to the heart of our great God. And so, the Bible says clearly and plainly, “Fret not”“fret not.” (Psalms 37:1, 7) But, you see, it’s one thing for God to tell us not to do something; it’s quite another thing to know how not to do the thing that we’re not to do.

Worry is a lot of things, and none are good!

Here are a few more!

5. Worry is unreasonable.

It is irrational. Plus, we typically worry about the wrong things: how we look, what we say, the people we’re talking to, what we are or aren’t accomplishing—stuff that isn’t going to matter in five years. To worry about something you can’t change is illogical. If you can’t change it, why worry about it?

Every moment you worry is a wasted second of your life: “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27 NIV).

6. Worry is unnatural.

You weren’t made to worry. Nature does not worry. Human beings are the only creatures that worry. Matthew 6:26 says, “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?” (NIV).

Have you ever seen a bird walking around the backyard worried that it might not find a worm to eat? If birds don’t have to worry about how God takes care of them, then neither should you.

7. Worry is unhelpful.

It doesn’t change anything. Worry cannot make you bigger or smaller, thinner or fatter. Worrying about any problem will never move you one step toward a solution. It just makes you tired and stressed. “Worry weighs us down” (Proverbs 12:25 The Message).

8. Worry is unnecessary.

Worry is assuming responsibility that God never intended for you to have. Every time you worry, it comes from the fact that you misunderstand the goodness of God. Worry is a caution light warning that you’ve forgotten how good God is.

When Jesus died on the cross for you, he solved your biggest problem. None of your problems are bigger than eternal salvation. If God can be trusted for your salvation, he can be trusted to take care of everything else.

9. Worry is unbelief.

God has promised to take care of all your needs. When you doubt that, you actually become an unbeliever in that moment. You’re acting like there is no God and there are no promises in Scripture. Worry is practical atheism.

So now we see all the bad things worry is. We know what it can do. So what do we need to fight it, to fight this war against worry?

God tells us in verse 1 negatively not to fret, then He tells us four ways positively that we can fulfill this command that He’s placed upon us. And, I want you to look at these four positive commands that are here.

A. There must be a confidence that relies on the Lord.

First of all, dear friend, there is a confidence—there must be a confidence—that relies on the Lord. In verse 3, look at it:

Psalm 37:3 ESV

Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

A confidence that relies on the Lord.

Now, this word trust is an interesting word. It roots from a word that means “to lie facedown on the ground.” Now, what does that got to do with trust? Well, the idea is here’s a person who’s totally helpless, just—he’s been cast down. He has nothing to stand upon. There he is, facedown on the ground, utterly, totally helpless and dependent. He has no visible means of support. Now, that’s the place that God wants us to bring us— As a matter of fact, did you know that God will sometimes put you facedown on the ground so that you might learn to trust Him?

You remember how God was leading the Israelites out of the land of Egypt and into the Promised Land? And, as He led them out of Egypt, He led them into a, well, what we would think is almost a trap, a cul-de-sac, a pocket. They were being led along, and they come to this place. They come up against the Red Sea, and here’s the Red Sea here. And, on this side are the mountains, and on that side are the mountains. And, they are led right to that place. Now, it wasn’t that Moses couldn’t read a map. God led them there. The Bible makes it very clear: they were there because that God led them there.

Why did God lead them there? Well, God was teaching them. The Bible says all of these things were just sort of a boot camp for them. God was giving them training; and so, God led them to the Red Sea. And then, God says, “Go forward.” There’s the sea. Well, they say, “Well, sure, Lord, as soon as we get a boat, build a boat, build a bridge. Where’s the bridge? We’ll go forward.” “No, just go forward.” “You mean, right…” “Yeah, right forward.” “Well, no, ah…” They weren’t so keen about that. But, I’ll tell you, God encouraged them a little bit, because as they looked backward, they saw a cloud of dust, and here came the Egyptians— Pharaoh with blood in his eye, his sword glittering in the sun, and all of the Egyptian army. This host of Egyptians are coming. And so, now they decide that they’ll go forward. And, they go forward, because there’s nothing else they can do.

You see, God sometimes brings us to a place where faith is not an option; it’s not a luxury—it is a necessity. Sometimes God will maneuver you to where you are just absolutely helpless; you’re facedown on the ground. And, if you don’t—if you don’t trust God, friend, you’ve had it.

You see, we need this. I mean, how do you know you’re really trusting the Lord? I want to ask you a question today: What—what, really—is giving you joy today? What’s making you happy? “Well,” you say, “the Lord is making me happy.” How can you be sure? How do you know it’s not that nice automobile you came to church in this morning that’s making you happy? How do you know it’s not your home that’s making you happy? How do you know it’s not those friends that are sitting around you this morning that’s giving you your joy? How do you know it’s not that fine breakfast you had this morning? How do you know it’s not your bank account? I mean, how do you know that the Lord is the strength of your life and that the Lord is what’s making you happy?

Well, I tell you how you can know it: by the process of elimination. Let God take away your automobile, and if you still have joy, then that wasn’t the source of your joy! Let God take away your health, and if you still have joy, then that wasn’t the source of your joy. Let God take away your home, and if you still have joy, then that wasn’t the source of your joy. Let God take away your job, and if you still have joy, then that wasn’t the source of your joy.

I don’t mean that you could not be temporarily upset about those things. But, if the joy goes out of your life, that means you weren’t getting your joy from the Lord; you were getting your joy in these things. And so, what God will do to us sometimes is this: He’ll just put us facedown on the ground before Him when there’s nothing else—I mean, just Him. He’ll teach us to learn to be self-contained—not self-sufficient; self-contained. And, He’ll teach you that in whatever state you are, no matter what they take away from you, self-contained, to be content, to be facedown on the ground before the Lord.

Now listen, we say, “Jesus is all I need.” Well, you know, how you can prove that? God will bring you to a place where Jesus is all you have. you’ll never know that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you’ve got.

You fully rely on Him.

B. There must be a communion that rejoices in the Lord.

Psalm 37:4 ESV

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Now, what does that mean? Does that mean you have anything you want? Does it mean all I have to do is love God and then I’ll get a swimming pool, and a bigger house, and a fine car, and a vacation? Is that what it means? No, that’s not what He’s talking about at all. He’s not talking about your surface wants. He’s not talking about your casual wishes. He says, “[You] delight [yourself] in the LORD: and he [will] give [you] the [desire] of [your] heart.” (Psalms 37:4) That is, your innermost needs will be met, the desire of your heart.

And, what is the desire of your heart? To know God. What are your innermost needs? To know the Lord. In Him you’ll find what you’ve been searching for, what you’ve been seeking for. And, when you delight yourself in the Lord, then you’re going to find, for the first time, your real needs are going to be met.

You see, God is not finished with you. God is not finished with you until you find your greatest joy in Him alone. And friend, I want to tell you something: He’s going to keep giving you the test until you pass it, hmm? I mean, He doesn’t flunk anybody out. And so, if you don’t pass it this time, He’ll just run you through again. He’ll just bring you right to the Red Sea again, and He’ll just teach you—I mean, to where you say, “Lord, I’m going to be facedown on the ground before you. I am going to have a confidence that relies upon you, and I’m going to have a communion that rejoices in you.”

The Stock Market, in 1929, crashed. People were doing swan dives out of windows. I mean, they’re committing suicide because the Stock Market went down. Obviously, they got their joy in the Stock Market. Obviously, that’s where their life was. And, when that was taken away, their life…there was no more reason to live.

and God is not finished with your life until your chief delight is in the Lord. He’s working on you to bring you to this place to where there will be in you a communion that delights in the Lord and you find out that not only is Jesus necessary, but Jesus is enough.

It’s not wrong to have joy in your family. I’m not saying that. I’m not saying it’s not wrong to appreciate your possessions. I’m not saying that. But when a man has his joy in the Lord, the things that move other people about him—blow about other people about him—are not going to move you about and blow you about to that same degree.

C. There must be a commitment that rolls burdens on the Lord.

Psalm 37:5 ESV

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

Now, this word commit literally means “to roll,” or it has the idea of rolling. It means “to roll your burden on the Lord.” “At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, and the burdens of my heart…rolled away!

Now, look at that word way—the word way: “Commit [your] way…” (Psalms 37:5) That means—that means—“a well-traveled path.” We could almost say your lifestyle, your way of living, your reputation, the way you do things, what people think about you, how people conceive of you. Just give that to the Lord.

Look in verse 6.

Psalm 37:6 ESV

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

You don’t have to protect your reputation. Let them criticize. God knows your heart. Roll it on the Lord!

Just tell God about it. Don’t worry about it. Listen, roll your burden on the Lord.

Now, what He’s saying—listen, folks; listen—don’t fret. Have a confidence that relies on the Lord. You’ll be fed. Have a communion that delights in the Lord. You’ll never be disappointed. Have a commitment that rolls burdens on the Lord. He’ll take care of you.

D. There must be a contentment that rests in the Lord.

Psalm 37:7 ESV

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

Now friend, this word rest literally means “to be silent.” You know what we do—we’re always badgering the Lord, always talking to the Lord: “And now, now Lord, why did you do this?” Questioning the Lord: “Lord, why did you do that?” Criticizing the Lord murmuring, complaining, gripping, criticizing, questioning. gogozmos! “Rest in the LORD”—be silent before Him—“and wait patiently [on] him.” (Psalms 37:7)

Now, we don’t like that word rest, do we? We want God to hurry up. We want God to do it yesterday.

I want to tell you something, friend: God is not interested in time; He’s interested in timing—in timing. You know, God does everything in the fullness of time, when it’s ready. “we’re always running around pulling our radishes up by the roots and then cramming them back in the ground, wanting to see how they’re growing.” we must learn how to shut up, and let God work, and just simply rest in the Lord, and lean back and watch God do what He’s doing.

You know, I like Psalms 30 and verse 5. And there, it talks about having trouble, but it says that “weeping may endure for a [season]”—that is, for a night—“but joy [comes] in the morning.” (Psalms 30:5)

And, what He says is this: that waiting on the Lord is like waiting for the sun to come up. Waiting on the Lord is like waiting for the sun to come up: you cannot hurry it. But, I’ll tell you something else: you can’t stop it. It will come up—it will come up. And, God is going to bring a sunrise to your soul.

“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.” (Psalms 37:7) And, if you do it, you’re going to fulfill the command that says to fret not, and you’re going to win in this war over worry—not you, but the Lord. Have you noticed the key to all of these? “Trust in the LORD.” (Psalms 37:3) “Delight…in the LORD.” (Psalms 37:4) “Commit [your] way [to] the LORD.” (Psalms 37:5) “Rest in the LORD.” (Psalms 37:7) And, who is the Lord? Jesus is Lord—Jesus is Lord. Trust in Jesus. Love Jesus. Commit your life to Jesus. Rest in Jesus, who said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)