Conquering Worry

Scripture: Matthew 6:31-34

Sermon preached at Gospel Light Christian Church, Singapore
by Pastor Dr Paul Choo
on 21 May 2000

Introduction: Few people realize that worry is a sin. Christians are commanded to "be careful (ie, anxious, worry) for nothing; but by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6,7). Worry is probably one of the commonest and most distressing sins.

What is worry? : Worry is concern over the future, ie, concern about something that one can do nothing about, and that one cannot even be sure about. The Greek word in the New Testament means "to divide, rip or tear apart." The word describes the effects of worry, that is what worry does to us. One who worries is concerned about the future, which he cannot control. In fact, he does not even know what will actually happen. He imagines a possibility, then imagines another possibility. He thinks of a possible solution, then another solution. Because he cannot know for sure what will happen, he allows worry to tear him apart!

What can we do about it? : Jesus said "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself" (Matthew 6:34). In other words, what is wrong with worry is that it is the wrong focus on life. Jesus said that it is wrong to let tomorrow's possible problems tear you apart today. He said "Take no thought for the morrow……Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" (Matthew 6:34). In these words, we have the cure for worry. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Don't focus your concern upon tomorrow's problems; there are enough problems to fix today.

Tomorrow belongs to God, He has only given us today. Tomorrow is in His hands. Whenever we try to take hold of it, we try to steal what belongs to Him. What will happen tomorrow belongs to God and we should not worry about it but should trust that it belongs to a wise and loving God.

Is it wrong to plan for the future? : There is nothing wrong with planning for the future, if we can say "If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that" (James 4:15). But it is wrong to plan for the future as if we, not God, control it. "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow…" (James 4:13,14). In other words we must be able to say "Lord, to the best of my ability I have planned according to your will as I have learned in the Bible, but Lord you are sovereign; I submit my plans to you. Your will be done." Planning that is subject to God's alteration is planning that does not lead to worry. What is there to worry about when you truly put your best plans into God's hands, and leave the results to Him?

What can I do about my concern? : We cannot stop being concerned because it is natural to be concerned about our future. Since we cannot eliminate it, we must re-direct it. In other words, after we have laid our best plans in God's hands, we can turn our attention away from tomorrow and focus it on today. Concern is a God-given emotion that helps us to mobilize our mind to focus upon a problem. But when our mental energies are focussed on tomorrow's problems (which we cannot do anything about) they are unused. So these unused energies give us increased heart beats, sleepless nights and stomach ulcers. But if we focus our energies on today's problems, they will be profitably used to solve today's problems them rather than worry about tomorrow's problems.

A practical plan for worry : When you find yourself worrying, write out the following three questions and answer them: What is my problem? What does God want me to do with it? When, where and how should I begin? Just writing out these three answers will lead to a solution. But don't be satisfied with answering these questions. Schedule your actions, and get to work, step by step, solving today's problems.