Worry-Warts

 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7. 

So you’re a worrier. For some of us, worry is more like a hobby, while others are professional worriers. Some of us are yesterday worriers, while others are someday worriers, while still others are everyday worriers. We know it does little if any good. In fact, we would agree that it is a waste of time. We also know we need to do something different or worry will make itself right at home and become a regular part of our lives And worry not only has physical consequences, but it also has spiritual ones as well. In the end, worry won’t stretch our savings account or keep cancer or job loss at bay and get us accepted into the college of our choice.

Telling yourself not to worry is easy; eliminating worry is much more difficult. Jesus offers help for worriers in Matthew 6:25-34. Worry is futile. To that end Jesus offers a simple test: “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”  No. In fact, worry will most likely subtract hours from it instead. Worry has no productive value. Worry is an indicator of our level of faith and trust in God. Whenever we choose to worry about something, we are in effect saying, “I’m not sure God will do anything about my situation.”

Once we identify worry as a lack of trust, then we can turn it over to God. Trust is the essential ingredient in an authentic relationship with Jesus. God gave us a formula in His Word to help us stop the 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 as you live in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:6-7) 

The very next verse tells us how to stop the worrying, so we can experience that kind of peace that comes through praying about everything: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8) 

As we focus on God’s goodness, God’s love, and God’s ability to control all that you cannot, there is no room in your mind for fear or worry. All we need to do is to trust God. He can control all you think you must and all you are convinced you can’t. And He knows exactly what He’s doing in your life. 

Discussion Questions: 

1. When have you experienced the greatest worry in your life? How did you deal with it?
2. How have you learned to give your worry to God?