Jesus spoke extensively about worrying in Matthew 6 but there are two dangers of worrying that he pointed out that really got me worried [pardon the pun].
First, we are told not to worry because worry can lead to selfish decisions in life. In Matthew 6: 25-26, Jesus specifically says you shouldn’t be anxious about your life. He is hinting at one of the major problems with worry: at the end of the day, my worries, my anxieties, are all about me—my world, my desires, my longings. Worry is me-centered. The worry that Jesus speaks of in our text knows nothing of self-sacrifice, nothing of laying down one’s rights for the good of others, nothing of humility; it is a me-centered anxiety.
This kind of me-centered living is evident in our lives in a variety of ways. Some of us think there is a certain kind of lifestyle we have to have. You’re thinking, I need to be able to vacation the way that I want, live in a nicer neighborhood, have my kids attend the top school. You’ve bought into the world idea of happiness—that it is found in earthly treasure.
Someone is probably reading this right now and you think your worry is legit. You’re thinking, Hey, I’m not trying to get Ikoyi club membership. I’m worried about what I’m going to eat or how I’m going to pay the rent. But you’re not praying about it. You’re not seeking God. You’re staying up late at night, trying to figure out how you can make things work. You worry because of your refusal to trust God—because of your commitment to find the answers your own way, through your own network, through your own means. This too is meaningless.
Perhaps, my worst worry about worrying is worry is symptomatic of how unbelievers act Matthew 6:32 says “For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” Jesus is saying that the lives of those who couldn’t care less about him are dominated by earthly treasure and therefore worry. When you and I worry about our jobs, our health, our money, our kids’ schools, our cars, and our clothes, we’re acting like the world. To be dominated by worry is essentially to show is that our ultimate hope is not in a loving, caring Father, but in the things of this world.
Therefore, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
