Freed by Faith from the Weight of Worry

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?  And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,  yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.- Matthew 6:25‭-‬34 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Worry, anxiety, and depression is a common malady in this day and age. It even afflicts our children. Singles worry about finding a significant other. Married couples worry about fertility, sustaining their marriages. Parents worry about their children. Their schooling being sufficient. Them not being bullied or picked on.

Reasons not to worry

Worrying makes no impact on our situation. It does not change circumstances. Worrying about your life does not extend it, it actually shortens your life. Worry comes from a word that originally meant strangling. Anxiety comes from German, a word that meant a tightening feeling in the chest.

Jesus tells us not to worry. He points out that God takes care of birds. God cares more about us than birds. He points out how well dressed flowers are which are so ephemeral.  This does not mean that we need not work. We do still need to work, but need not be anxious about it. But even more than that, Jesus died not for the birds or the flowers of the field, but for us. If our heavenly Father took care of our eternal needs, how could he overlook anything?

God knows what we need and will provide it. What we need and what we want are two very different things. God will take care of our needs.

The root of worry

Jesus says we don't need to worry because we have a heavenly father. So if we are constantly living in anxiety, then we are living as an orphan. Then we are living as if it were us alone scraping out a life. We are living as functional atheists. Jesus says our lives are not than just food and clothing. Living only for this life is pagan living. It is about living your best life now.

If you don't live for heavenly treasure, then you are living for something earth bound. And as we covered previously, all these things can be lost. We will succumb to anxiety.

If there is no God, then everything is up to you. It is just random events. And you are trying to control all these things in your life. If you lose sight of the King, you will end up trying to be king.

We should remember that the opposite of worry is passivity. That is not to be commended. We are not to just ignore everything. We should be rightly concerned about some things. We should not take it easy about everything. We are not to be completely passive nor overly concerned.

Concern yourself most with the true treasure. To know Christ and treasure Him. All gifts, blessings, and pleasures in this life ultimately point to Him. Loving Jesus properly will bring our disorganized loves into line. Seeking Jesus and his kingdom first will ensure that God is King in our lives. Not only is this King all powerful, but He also loves us. Not only does he wear a crown, he wore a crown of thorns for me.

"The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith. The beginning of faith is the end of anxiety." - George Mueller

Redirect our energy

Jesus does not promise a trouble free life. He does promise to be with us. Worriers are visionaries minus the optimism. Take that energy and apply it to the troubles of today.

"I compare the troubles which we have to undergo in the course of the year to a great bundle of sticks, far too large for us to lift. But God does not require us to carry the whole bundle at once. He mercifully unties the bundle, and gives us first one stick which we are to carry today, and then another, which we are to carry tomorrow. We can easily manage our troubles, if we would only carry the trouble appointed for each day. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday's burden today, and then add the burden of tomorrow." - John Newton

PEACE, an acronym to help us apply this in our lives

Pray
Express your worries to God
Ask if you're prioritized the wrong kingdom or playing king
Claim his promises
Engage today's troubles