Week Forty-Three - Seven Reasons Not to Worry

I remember a time when I was overwhelmed with worry. We were struggling financially, and I feared what would happen. Now, decades later, I barely remember the actual events. What I do remember are the Scriptures God used to help me overcome my worry. And they are still powerful today. 

Oh, don't get me wrong, I still fall into worry, but it doesn't get such a hold on me anymore. Even when things are tense or scary, worry can only go so far because these same scriptures pop into my mind and return my peace.

Let's look at seven reasons not to worry from chapter six of the book of Matthew. These are the verses I memorized years ago.

1. The same God who created life in you can be trusted with the details of your life.

Matthew 6:25, "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"

God knows what you need. He designed your body to need food and water. He also knows you need clothes. He designed every detail of your life, and He is meticulous. 

Oswald Chambers said, "God is my Father, He loves me, I shall never think of anything He will forget, why should I worry?" So give no thought to the basic needs of life —just don't worry about them. Be thankful and content instead of grasping for more or worrying where it will all come from.

2. Worrying about the future hampers your efforts for today.

Matthew 6:26, "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns: yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Aren't you? Yes, you are. God loves the birds and takes care of them, but He never calls them His children. They have no promise of eternal life. You, on the other hand, are His child, and He is intimately interested and involved in every detail of your life. Take one day at a time and stop worrying about tomorrow.

3. Worry is more harmful than helpful.

Matthew 6:27, "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?"

Worry makes one unthankful. We fail to see God's goodness because we judge what we have as not being enough. Desiring more, we discount what we actually have.

4. God does not ignore those who depend on Him.

Matthew 6:28-30, "And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"

The beauty of the world declares God's involvement. Look at the magnificence of His creation and think, "If He is that involved with rocks and trees, how can I doubt He would be even more involved with those created after His image?" Discounting your worth before God is treasonous!

5. Worry shows a lack of faith and understanding of God.

Matthew 6:31-32, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink?         or, Wherewithall shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your                 heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."

Worry means we don't trust God to provide, understand, or care about our needs. Even the Gentiles, the unbelievers, need food, clothing, and raiment, and God provides for them. Why would we ever doubt that God didn't know we needed them as well? Do we believe Him to be a God who doesn't care about His children? That is what worry is saying.

6. There are real challenges God wants us to pursue, and worry keeps us from them.

Matthew 6:33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall     be added unto you."

Hebrews 12 tells us to keep our eyes on Jesus. When we worry, our eyes aren't looking to Him; they are looking around at everything else, and we often miss blessings and opportunities because worry has us bound and blinded. Get your eyes back on God and thank Him for giving you what you need.

7.  Living one day at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry.

Matthew 6:34, "Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

We can't do anything about tomorrow, and we cannot change the past; we can only deal with what is in front of us, one day at a time. This takes such pressure off when we adopt this philosophy, giving us great power because we know God meets our needs and takes good care of us each day. Sufficient to the day - enough is all that matters. 

Worry heaps more than is necessary into the day, so why not chop your day down to size and take it as a single day's dose! God's not worried, why should you?