Why Worry? Because worry is the natural response of a person when he experiences a difficult circumstance in life. It is usual for a person to worry when he is under a crisis. But the Bible said, do not worry. And this is what we are going to talk about in this blog.
Highlights:
- The things that you are worried about reflects your core devotions.
- You can always turn your worries into prayers.
- The solution for anxiety is not to turn it off, but to shift your dedication.
The pandemic that we are experiencing nowadays is a serious matter. A lot of people change their lifestyle because of this crisis. I, for one, was greatly affected by this. Last April of this year, my employment was terminated from the company that I served for 13 years. When I heard about my employment termination, I felt what every average person would think under this circumstance, which is the feeling of worry. And this is what I am going to share with you on this blog.
When I mentioned that I lost my job, I am sure that you will not end up having sleepless nights because you are worried about it. Why? Because you are not devoted to my job. And this is the nature of worry, the things that you are concerned about reflects your core devotions. So, pause for a moment right now and do a personal check. What are you worried about now? I will guarantee that whatever it is, you are devoted to it. So, the question right now is, how should you respond to worry according to the Bible? Let me summarize it through our main point in this blog.
Turn your Worries into Prayers
Turn it into prayer. The New Testament has explicit instruction about worry. Do not worry. When tempted to worry, turn it into prayer. Apostle Paul gave this instruction to the church of Philippi.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious; in other words, do not worry about anything. But in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. How could Paul give this somewhat unrealistic command? One possible explanation is that he heard the story when Jesus himself taught on this topic in one of his sermons. Let us look at the account of Matthew.
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Matthew 6:24
Mammon is the original word for money on this verse. Or, in other words, stuff. No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other. You can’t be entirely devoted to God and entirely devoted to the stuff. If I am going to ask you right now, whom are you going to serve – God or stuff? Now, if we choose God, this is what Jesus said.
“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Matthew 6:25
Because we chose God, here is the instruction. Do not worry about life. Well, this is very general. What do you mean by life? So, Jesus goes with the specifics. What you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear —the primary concern of that time.
Today, this will sound like this – do not worry about singleness or your status in the company. Do not worry about your promotion or your business or even about your grades in the school.
Does it mean that these things are not important? Of course not. These are important. Jobs, relationships, business, and even getting married are essential. But Jesus is not talking here about whether it is vital or not. He is preaching about what is more important.
Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes? When you define your life, the totality of your life, will you equate it with your profession? Will you compare it with a relationship or with the amount of your money in the bank? I hope not. Then Jesus gave an eye-opening illustration.
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?
Matthew 6:26
The birds don’t have any idea about what savings in the bank are. They do not do budgeting. They don’t have a laptop to manage their schedule. In other words, the birds in the air do not do all the responsible stuff you are doing or can do. But despite that, our heavenly Father feeds them. Despite the lack of skill and disadvantage of the birds in the air, they don’t starve to death because our heavenly Father takes care of them.
Of course, don’t make a mistake of misinterpreting this verse. Jesus is not promoting irresponsibility here. If you are going to read the Bible, you will realize that God is telling you to work in your company as if you are working for Him. He wants you to manage your finances just like a good steward. God is expecting you to do parenting as per the standard of the Bible. He wants you to be the kind of husband or wife as modeled in the scripture. Be the kind of single professional, as shown in the Bible. Our Heavenly Father is expecting you to fill out that application, study your lessons in the school, or operate within your budget. Now, after you’ve done all that stuff, go back to this scripture and remember the birds of the air and ask this essential question:
Are you not much more valuable than they?
Do you think God cares more for the bird than He cares for you? Because if you believe that you are more valuable than the birds, then why would you worry? Jesus is saying, do not worry. Not because it is not essential; on the contrary, these are very important. But worry is an indication that we somehow forget that we are more valuable than the birds in God’s eyes. Then Jesus gave a compelling analogy to convict us why we should not worry.
For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
Matthew 6:32
The pagans are those people who don’t believe that there is a personal God. This belief is the very reason why the pagans run after all of these things. They are devoted to it. So what Jesus is saying here, if we say we believe God, but are also so stressed out with all these essential and critical things, we are acting like someone who doesn’t believe God. In other words, an atheist.
Think about this; nowadays, it doesn’t matter whether you are a believer or not. The personal concern is common for everyone: job security, business status, relationships. As a believer, your response to this should be so different from those who do not believe in God. As a follower of Jesus, this is your opportunity. An opportunity to shine the brightest. Your response will either show whether there is a God or not. Jesus is saying, if you give in to worry, you are acting like everybody else.
Your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. Would it make a difference to live a life that will showcase the fact that there is a God who knows what you need and willing and able to meet that need?
But how should you do that, and how should you stop worrying? How can I turn off the switch of worry? The answer is, you can’t because the solution for anxiety is not to turn it off but to shift your devotion. Remember, you can only serve one master. You cannot be devoted to both. That is the reason Jesus concludes this lesson with this very familiar verse.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.
Matthew 6:33
As oppose to seek first your finances and seek first your relationship, seek first His kingdom. You got to shift your devotion, or else you will always end up worried. In other words, find first His plan for the world and align your agenda to that. Jesus was talking about this when He taught His disciples to pray.
your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10
Allow God’s kingdom in your life and your world. Seeking it first before relationships, before finances, before your business is what it means to seek first His kingdom. Seeking first His kingdom because we know that we have a God who said
and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33
Our Heavenly Father knows that we need them, and He is not only able but, more importantly, willing to give this to us as well.
Some of you may ask, after losing my job, am I not worried anymore. To be honest, there is still part of the day when I will just pause and think, “will I still be able to find better work than my previous one in this very competitive market?”. Then I will start to worry. But at the same time, God will remind me about the birds of the air. Our Heavenly Father cares more for me than He cares for the birds. I don’t need to be complacent. I need to look for that company. But that should not be my devotion. I need to seek His Kingdom because God knows what I need, and He promised me that all these things would be given to me as well. At that moment, I will turn my worries into prayers.
Credits/Notes:
- Credits to Andy Stanley for the content reference.
- Please check a similar blog – Do Not Worry About Tomorrow
- All verses are based on the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise stated.
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