Worry – the Oxford Dictionaries define it as “[feeling] anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems.” To worry is to let your mind dwell on troubles or difficulties, and in most cases, what we worry about never happens. Studies show that only about 8% of our worries are really legitimate troubles, and a huge percentage of the things we worry about never happen. We spend so much of our emotional energy worrying about things we can’t change or things that never take place.
Worry doesn’t solve problems. It doesn’t keep bad things from happening. It doesn’t motivate you or help you cope. Yet we still continue to worry. I know I’m guilty of worrying. It’s so easy to get caught up in worry. We worry about finances, our health, our family, our jobs, what other people think, and what the future holds.
Over time, worry can start affecting your daily life. Chronic worrying can interfere with your relationships, job performance, appetite, sleep, and lifestyle. Medical science even tells us that chronic emotional stress and worry can trigger many health problems, such as suppression of your immune system, short-term memory loss, heart disease, digestive issues, and even heart attack. Mentally, worry can lead to anxiety and depression.
Doctors and psychologists will tell you that worry is bad for you, both mentally and physically. But what does God have to say about worry?
Worry is Disobedience
Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what y shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 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? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 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 today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat or, what shall we drink or, wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that yet have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 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.
(Matthew 6:25-34 KJV)
If you take a look at this passage in the New Living Translation, it says “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life…” and then it goes on to say, “So don’t worry about these things…So don’t worry about tomorrow…” Don’t worry!
What does God have to say about worry? He commands us not to do it. The same God who tells us in the Bible not to lie, not to kill, not to commit adultery is now telling us in the book of Matthew that we are not to worry. It’s a command – one that so many of us have difficulty following.
Worry doesn’t just hurt us (just look at all the negative physical and mental effects of worry), but it also hurts God. Why? Because worry is the opposite of faith. When we worry, we are telling God with our actions that we don’t trust him to come through for us. We’re doubting that he will take care of us. When we stay up at night worrying about a problem, we’re essentially telling God, “I don’t have faith that you are going to take care of this problem for me.”
If you’re a parent, as I am, think about how it would hurt your heart if you found out your child was up at night worrying that you wouldn’t provide for them. You’d feel bad because you love your child, and you want them to trust that you’ll always take care of them. When we worry, as God’s children, it grieves his heart.
Here in Matthew, we see Jesus saying, look at the flowers and the birds. I take care of them. Don’t you think that I’m going to take care of you, too? Why are you worrying? Can it really change anything?
Ask yourself this question: When did God ever fail you?
God has never failed me one time. Yet it’s still so easy to worry; and Jesus says here, “Oh ye of little faith.” A poignant reminder that my worry is a sign of my lack of faith.
Let me ask you again: When did God ever fail you?
Not one time!
The Solution: Cast All Your Cares and Worries on Jesus
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
(I Peter 5:7 KJV)
We know from the book of Matthew that we’re commanded NOT to worry. But we are human. It’s not easy to lay aside our worry. Thankfully, the Bible gives us a solution for dealing with our worries in life: “Casting all your care upon him.”
The solution to worry is talking to Jesus. Telling Jesus about our worry. Laying all of our burdens right down at his feet. God doesn’t like to see us worry because he cares for us. We’re his beloved. And he longs for us to bring it all to him.
What are you worrying about? When was the last time you talked to Jesus about it? Have you told him how you feel about it? Have you laid your heart bare before him? Have you let out all the anguish and pain and despair you are feeling? He wants you to!
And Jesus doesn’t just want us to share our cares and worries with him, he wants us to cast them on him. He wants us to lay them down and let him carry them.
Next time you find yourself awake at night worrying, tell Jesus all about those thoughts and feelings. Instead of trying to bear it alone – when your worry can do absolutely nothing – talk to the person who has the power to take care of you and do something about your worries.
Once you cast your cares on Jesus, then you need to leave them there. It’s so easy to spend time with Jesus, tell him about our problems, give him our worries, and then the next day pick them right back up again. And we’re back to worrying and back to doubting God and his promises.
No! God wants us to leave our worries with him. To have faith that he’ll come through. To stop bearing the burden of worry because we have faith that he will always take care of us, in every situation.
Don’t Worry About Anything…Pray About Everything!
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
(Philippians 4:6 KJV)
In this verse, the Bible is telling us: Don’t worry about anything! Instead, God wants us to pray about everything. He wants us to come to him in prayer, letting him know what we need and thanking him for what he has already done.
It’s difficult to worry when you’re thanking and praising God. An attitude of gratitude to God changes our perspective. Next time you’re worrying, start thanking God for what he’s done for you. Begin praising him for what he’s going to do for you. Talk to him about your worries, tell him what you need, and then praise him.
Philippians 4:7, in the New Living Translation, goes on to say: “THEN you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.” After we give up our worries, pray about them, ask God for what we need, and praise him…THEN we’re going to have peace. And it’s God’s peace, which is beyond anything we can even understand.
When we follow these directions from God, we’re going to get peace that the world doesn’t understand. You might not know where the next month’s rent is coming from, but you’re at peace because you gave it to God, and he’s going to provide. Perhaps you’re facing a physical battle, but you’ve taken it to Jesus, and you’re praising him for what he’s going to do. The world can’t figure that out.
Whatever you’re worrying about right now, God wants you to cast that worry on him. A life if worry is not one God wants for his people. It hurts you, and it hurts Jesus. He wants to take your worries from you. And he wants to give you peace.
WoW…. So True
Father God and I just had this conversation yesterday…
Amen!!
Thanks for the encouragement and support. I Love it. Right on time.
Amen, Thank you so much. Sometimes I worry so much about things i have no control over. God is teaching me to trust Him fully . I am not yet there but i believe He will get me there.
I desire to surrender everything to God but i fail sometimes. Thank you for this reminder
Life doesn’t come without difficulties and problems, I’ve certainly had my share of them, but when I accepted Jesus as my savior, and Lord, everything began to change. Notice that I said, began to change, as we learn to lean on, and grow in our Christian life, expecting the Lord to watch out and provide for us, our whole life and prospective gets a make over. Once we learn, and that is a process, to cast ALL of our care upon Him, life has more meaning and we begin to relax as we put our trust in Him. Although my wife is still somewhat of a worrier we are learning every day to put my trust and care upon Him. God has given us His plan and roadmap for our lives in His Word, we need to discover His plan and purpose by reading, studying, and discovering it by learning to follow and obey, through faith, what the Holy Spirit, through faithful men of God, in His wonderful gift to us that is found in the Bible. Thank you for your wonderful article and biblical perspective.
Amen, thank you so much for such beautiful words of encouragement. God richly bless you always.
I really thank god and you people doing a great job, I really very appreciate all your efforts on this article, it’s very simple but its most and very important in our daily life. I have read all the passage and it give me strength to overcome the worries in my life. Please send more articles like this everyday.
The Lord told Me one day: “You can either learn to be patient or become one! I asked “How do I do that Lord?” He said “Give Me All Your care’s and leave them with Me! I’ve seen what you can do and I AM not impressed! But most of the time you give Me your cares and if I AM not taking care of them fast enough or handling it like you think I should you take them back thereby tying My hands from Helping you! Give Me Your Cares and leave them with Me!” He has NOT FAILED Me ONCE!so I enjoy NOW giving Him My Cares because He does take care of them.
Thank you very much for the inspiring words from the mouth of the Master. I have richly been blessed. I do worry about many things. My life will never be the same. I want to lead a worry-free life. I will now learn to cast all my worries on my Lord Jesus Christ, for He indeed cares for me. Stay blessed.
Very good words of encouragement and truth. It is not easy to do to turn over the battle of worry because my years are many but with the Holy Spirit help I know I will win the battle.
Amen, Thank you so much. Sometimes I worry so much about things i have no control over. God is teaching me to trust Him fully . I am not yet there but i believe He will get me there.
I desire to surrender everything to God but i fail sometimes. Thank you for this reminder
Thanks so much for such a beautiful article. It’s time for me to cast my cares upon Him and stop worrying.
God bless you
i easily get angered a lot. how do i deal with this nagging problem as it is affecting my relations with people. Is it true that there is a spirit of anger that manifests itself in the form of a dog[s] during a dream?. God bless you, i gained a lot from reading your article on worry.
Are you angry about things that have been done to YOU or to other people? It can be a sign of hurt. It is a tough pill to swallow, but if you are angry when people do things to you, it is a sign of pride. It is true that people should not be mistreating us, but we need to think of them and have love and forgiveness for them as opposed to anger for what they have done to us. Think of Jesus on the cross asking God to forgive those who put him up there. If we are harboring angry feelings, it is a sign of pride. Are you angry at things that have happened in the past? Please ask the Lord to help you forgive. If it is a forgiveness issue, just OBEY whatever the Holy Spirit prompts you to do in the way of reconciliation with that person, even if you don’t feel like doing it, and THEN in response to your obedience, God will give you love for that person. It worked for me in 2 major situations. Blessings!
@Thulwane Sbhidla,
I was angry a lot until it was time to face it. With anger, there is a deeper root that causes it. Often it is either you can not forgive yourself for doing something or something for not doing something but you should have or you can not forgive someone. I started writing down my family starting from dad, mom etc… and with the help of the holy spirit and quiet time things came out and i had to clean up some things but also found i could often not forgive myself and guess what that exercise took me some days or even weeks but i dont find being full of anger or even agressive anymore. As soon as i get that i deal with the issue right away. Anger is a red flag to your soul 😉 Hope that helps.
I use to worry a lot till God showed me either you are the one or the other .he meant Either i have faith or none at all because worry is the absence of faith.you can be invited by worry and you can choose to say no because worry is not from God . The amazing thing is God gave us the free will to choose one or the other. in everyday circumstances we are constantly having the opportunity to choose between the two.Gods faith or the devils worry .We can be concern of our circumstances but not dwell there we have the father who is willing to hear our concern and take it from us so we can relax and rely on him.
The article is the need of the hour. A lot of lesson been learnt from it. More grace to you by in Jesus name.
I worry about my life, children, work, country, family etc. I thought it was normal thinking. ahaa… is it disobedience? Thank you very much for your in depth analysis of verses of the Bible.
Wow! This was right on time for me. My oldest son started driving this week AND starts public highschool tomorrow after being homeschooled his entire life. This little Mama has been doing some worrying. This was such a good, sweet reminder that God’s got this. Thank you, Joy. Good stuff.
I have been worrying so much since I left my parents and came to Ghana, were I was converted from Sabbath (white garment church) to A Christian. As young as I am, I still think about my parents still in the wrong believe, I think about our poor background, no house, no marriage, no school nothing, nothing…. But I thank God who brought this word my way today. And may God continue to grant you more grace and wisdom on his word. Amen.
Yes the work of the for humanity is unique, I worry so much due to the challenges I get from my family in fact I was actually searching for a solution when I came across this site.in my family no man gets married so I decided that I was going to get marry and take good care of my kids and spouse I actually got married and had 2 beautiful angels by my wife in Spain but after few years I began fighting my stepmother and her children this fights went on for 2 years til in my waking life I began to suffer ,I began impotent and I was shot spiritualy several times and an object began to move li ke snake in my body,I travelled to Nigeria to mega churches but to no avail went to Ghana and even consulted many Well known pastors in the world yet no solution , my wife left me i lose my job and til now I worry about how my life gonna end up .Please worriness is not a choice it is due to situations beyond our control that cause such a delima in ones life .how can I stop worrying when a strange moving object is tormenting me?I need help please.
Frederick, the devil has stolen your happiness and the only way that you can be happy again is to cast the devil out by believing in GOD the Father and asking His Son JESUS to come into your life and by praying in JESUS name for the devil to be rebuked and cast out of your body and your life. You can and must do this if you are to ever overcome the evil one.
I pray that you see this and take JESUS as your LORD and Master and you will overcome all of satan’s minions as well as him. May GOD bless you in JESUS Holy Name my brother.
New Testament king David said I will bless the Lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth give thanks with a grateful heart give things to the holy one for he has given us Jesus Christ continued to have things on your lips and in your heart and watch God move in your behalf to take away the worry Nas in your life if he won’t do that he honor his word above his name God-bless you my brother
I went from having everything to losing everything including family and friends and being financially finished. I have always been a lukewarm Christian and didn’t know it until God took everything so that he could get my full attention. He is all that I have left in my life along with my child. He is my Father, friend, companion, and the answer to everything. I am nothing without Him. As a divorced mother, I work two jobs now and live from paycheck to paycheck, have no family nor friends, yet I am at peace. Yes, every month I still worry a bit about how I’m going to pay my rent and start asking God why he keeps me in this financially tight situation and begin to have tantrums like a teenager, but He always takes care of it. This article was just what I needed to remind me to give it all to God and not worry again for anything. Thank you!
I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread young lady God will restore what the cankerworm has eaten be a good courage I will strengthen your heart saidth the Lord.
When your partner does not support with the roadmap. will you take efforts to resolve talking to them? When the in-laws and partner are a blocker, should I try to atleast take efforts to tell them it is going to affect or just lean on God. It is tempting to worry about the future and therefore, go and explain them. Should i do or avoid it?
Thanks alot for this writting against worry. It is sin and it hurts our Father God. Let me start to just praise and thank Him for what he has done and what he us about to do. He is so faituful.
wow, wow, and wow this is just the best thanks for the encouragement
This was a blessing to me. I have been worrying so much about everything and my health is even affected right now.