Have you heard the bad news? The economy is in trouble. There is a recession, and it is getting worse. Inflation is on the rise, and the job market is decreasing. The stock market is down. Oil prices are getting higher and higher. The real estate market crashed. There is corruption in many corporations and in the government. There is a war that has gone on for years now, and there is no end in sight. If that is not enough bad news for you, then there is also the increasing cost of healthcare, the threats of identity theft, internet predators, computer viruses, home invasions, global warming, tainted beef, bird flu, and even the threat of meteors smashing into the earth. If you watch, read, or listen to the popular news media sources, then these are the types of stories that you are being told every day. The sense of the daily news is that the sky is falling, and it is time for us to panic.
God’s word has an answer for all of these things, and that answer is, “Don’t worry about it.” This is not to say that we should not be concerned about certain things or that we should be carefree and blissfully ignorant to the world, but worry never relieves any concern or solves any problem. Jesus gave the best perspective on worry when He asked, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span?” (Matt. 6:27). This question gives us the understanding that we should not worry about that which we cannot change. Moreover, even if we can change something, worry is never the way to accomplish the change.
Worry, or anxiety, is mental and emotional distress about uncertainties. It is characterized by fear of the unknown and the feelings of helplessness and loneliness. Worry sometimes even feels like guilt because the worrier assumes responsibility for something that is beyond his or her ability to control. Worry is counterproductive because it robs one’s efforts from constructive uses and applies them to useless fretting. Continual worry can even lead to depression. Worry should not be confused with other emotional issues (sadness, pain, mourning, etc.) that sometimes accompany worry. These other emotions are valid reactions to real life events, but worry is an irrational response to what is unknown. Often, we worry about things that will never even happen.
Rather than worry, the word of God prescribes that we should voice our concerns to God in prayer and then trust in Him to carry us through. Paul wrote, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6) The result of such faithful prayer is that “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). Likewise, Peter wrote that we should cast all of our anxiety upon God because He cares for us (1Pet. 5:7). In the sermon on the mount, Jesus taught that our heavenly Father cares for us and knows all that we need (Matt. 6:25-34). Therefore, we should trust in God to provide for us all that we need just as He has always done. With God looking out for us, we certainly have no reason to worry (Psa. 23:4; 118:6).
Christians who worry show a lack of faith and a weak spirituality. When we cast our worries on God through prayer, then we must trust in Him to do what is best according to His will. Christians are commanded to “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). The confidence that we have is through Jesus Christ who gives us bold access to the Father. If we are in Christ, then we know that God hears us and answers us according to His will (1John 5:14-15). If we have faith in God, then we will see the evidence of our answered prayers all around us.
Therefore, dear Christians, don’t worry. God knows what we need, and He will supply it. Even when we don’t understand what are real needs are, He knows. There may even be times when our physical and temporal needs are left lacking, but He will provide us with the spiritual strength to endure every trial (consider Paul in Phil. 4:11-13 and 2Cor. 1:8-10). Let us understand that even if this nation falls, our citizenship is heaven (Phil. 3:20), and the comings and goings of worldly things do not affect our eternal souls. If you are worried about anything, then ask yourself, “What will it matter in eternity?” All that will matter in eternity can be made right through Jesus Christ, and nothing else is worth the worry.
Stacey E. Durham