Worry seems to be an everyday trap. As children of God we know we can live in peace and trust God, but that is easier said than done. The Bible gives us so many reasons not to worry. Yet, living in a fallen world, there is so much—at every turn, it seems—that we could spend time worrying about:
What if I lose my job?
What if my spouse receives a terminal diagnosis?
What if my child doesn’t make it into the college he wants to attend?
What if I never get married?
What if my spouse leaves me?
What if my pregnancy doesn’t go to term?
And the list goes on.
We live life in a broken world, but the good news is that the Lord does not want us to give in to and be victims of the worries which so easily entangle us. He has a far better way!
What does God say about worries?
We read in Philippians 4:6 that we are to “not be anxious about anything”.
Jesus spoke to this very issue at length in Matthew 6 – He says in verse 25 (CSB),
“Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?”
He goes on to say (verses 31-34 CSB):
“So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
He is telling us we are not to worry because our Father in Heaven knows what we need and will be sure to provide it. Therefore, we actually have nothing to worry about at all!
Why we should not worry, according to the Bible
Not only should we not worry because our Father in Heaven is our Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, but Jesus offers also in Matthew 6 another reason why it is a waste of time to worry – He asks rhetorically in verse 27 (CSB),
“Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying?”
The practice of worrying is a waste of time – no good, no help, no positive result comes from worrying. It is just an endless, vain, vicious cycle wherein we toil and fret, going around in circles in our minds as our peace disappears and our stress increases.
How does God tell us not to worry?
We already saw in the first part of Philippians 4:6 that we are called to not be anxious for anything. The good news for us is that we are not left to our own devices to try to come up with how exactly to put an end to our worries.
God tells us how in the rest of Philippians 4:6-7 (CSB):
“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
This is a promise, dear friends! The peace of God will guard our hearts and minds. What a blessing!
God gave us the power to get rid of worry and negative thoughts.
What are the spiritual effects of worrying?
Often, we entertain the mistaken idea that worry is rather innocuous, believing that because it is so common, because it is “just a part of life”, that surely it doesn’t carry with it very many negative effects for us spiritually.
But it does.
Part of Jesus’ point in Matthew 6 regarding worry is that our worrying about tomorrow reveals a lack of faith in our hearts as to whether our Heavenly Father will actually take care of us. Worry always steals, weakens, and attacks your faith, and it lies about your Father.
Your ability to trust in your Heavenly Father is severely weakened each time you replace a truth about His provision with a lie from the enemy about your supposed lack.
8 Biblical reasons we should not worry (Matthew 6)
Not only should we not worry because of the adverse spiritual effects that worry has on our walk with God, but there are actually 8 reasons in total as to why we should not worry. And, interestingly enough, each of the 8 is found in the passage of Matthew 6!
1. Life is more than food (verse 25)
Jesus says in Matthew 6:25 (CSB)
“Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?”
Why should we not worry? Because Jesus says life is about so much more than food or clothing, mere material possessions in the here and now. Are food and clothing important? Certainly.
But our temporal needs right now are by no means all there is to life – there is a whole lot more to life (both here and eternally!) that we should be spending our time focusing on instead.
2. Our bodies are more than clothing
According to Jesus, thinking about what we shall wear is, just as with food, not our most pressing concern. When we are so hyper-focused on the here-and-now needs of what we are going to eat and where we are going to get our clothing, we fail to leave space in our thoughts for other, even more pressing concerns:
What is my walk like with the Lord?
Am I fulfilling the Great Commission?
Am I trusting in a good Father?
Am I preaching the gospel to myself when guilt or condemnation comes to me?
Am I living loved by my Father?
3. We are greater than materials
As image bearers of a Most High God and eternal souls who will live on forever, our worth is not found in what we wear or what we have on our dinner tables. Our worth comes in our being adopted children of the Father, ambassadors of Christ, and saints now in His sight, thanks to the blood of Jesus. If that is true of us, then why would we ever think that there is a reason to worry about what we will eat or what we will wear?
4. We are more than birds that God feeds without their labor (verse 26)
Jesus goes on to say in verse 26 (CSB),
“Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?”
I love this passage because it reveals to us the tender heart of our Creator God. He cares about each and every aspect of His glorious creation, not the least of which being the little birds of the air. If He is so intent and focused on caring even for them, you can bet He will care for you – all without your stewing or striving!
5. Worry cannot change anything (verse 27)
As we touched on above, Jesus shows us in verse 27 (CSB) the utter folly of wasting time worrying:
“Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying?”
In other words, can you prevent something bad from happening through your worrying about it? Can you ensure that something good will happen if you worry long enough? If not, then why make yourself miserable with such a fruitless pursuit as worry?
6. We are better than plants (verse 28-30)
Jesus goes on to say in verses 28-30 (CSB),
“And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith?”
Not only does the Lord point to the Father’s care of the little birds as proof that He will care for us, but He goes even further and also points to the beauty of the wildflowers of the field.
Who beautifies the wildflowers? Well, the Creator does. And if that Creator cares about the beauty of a wildflower whose lifespan is but a breath, how much more will He care for you as the eternal soul that you are? Dear one, this is another reason why we ought not to worry!
7. God’s provision is over all creation (verses 26-32)
Jesus culminates His teachings on the birds and the wildflowers with these words in verses 31-32 (CSB):
“So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”
The Gentiles – those who in Jesus’ day were not followers of God – eagerly, tirelessly, and with great worry fret over and seek the provisions they need. May it not be so for those of us who know our Heavenly Father and know His character to be that of having a heart full of tender love, care, and compassion for His children. God’s watchful care is over all of creation – and that includes you!
8. Worry is useless and sinful (verses 33-34)
Jesus’ teaching on worry in this passage concludes with these words in verses 33 and 34 (CSB):
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Worry is useless – each new day that comes will come with worries anew if you allow them to. There is never an end to worry when we set our hearts on worrying. Nothing changes, no good fruit is produced, and no disasters are averted through our labor of worrying.
Not only is it useless, however. Perhaps even more sobering is the fact that worrying is actually sinful. Yes, it’s common. Yes, it’s something we humans are prone to. Yes, it’s easy. But it is wrong, nevertheless.
Why? Because Jesus is showing us that if we claim to know the Heavenly Father we seek to follow, then we must trust Him. Knowing God leads to trusting God. You cannot trust someone you do not know, but if you know God’s character, you know He is trustworthy. And if that is the case, then it is sinful to worry and act as if you do not know the truth of God and His heart for you. That’s pretty sobering to think about!
Prayer against worry
Father God, I confess I do not always trust You and all too often I worry and fret instead. Sometimes I fail to take every thought captive to the obedience of You, and I instead fall prey to the lies of the enemy. It’s so easy to do, Father. But I don’t want to just do what is easy anymore.
I want to live life as if I know You hold me in the palm of Your hand. I want to live loved by you, cared for by You, protected by You—because I am all of those things. Help me remember that, Lord, when worries seek to creep in.
Help me remember the abundant and ready forgiveness I can always find in You when I have turned again to the sin of worry. And help me remember that, as the Psalmist writes, “You are good, and You do good”. With that in mind, I can rest easy, assured that You will care for me every moment of my every day—and beyond! I thank you for that great blessing and the relief it brings!
In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.
Guest Author: Rebekah Hargraves
Rebekah Hargraves is a wife, homeschooling mama of two, blogger, podcaster, speaker, and author. Her passion is to edify, equip, and encourage women in their journey of Biblical womanhood, particularly with an emphasis on the gospel and its implications for everyday life.
Rebekah’s books: “Lies Moms Believe (And How the Gospel Refutes Them)” (2017), and the “Lies Moms Believe” Companion Bible Study” (2018).
You can connect with Rebekah via her website, Hargraves Home and Hearth, Instagram, or on iTunes via The Home and Hearth podcast.
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