The Problem With Worry

“Don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

Several years ago, I unexpectedly lost my job. After the shock wore off, my mind raced to all the worst possible scenarios. I was single at the time and had no other source of income. To make matters worse, I had moved across the country to accept this position and was thousands of miles away from my family and support system. 

I felt the familiar tightness settle in my chest. What would I do? How would I pay my rent and bills? Could I even afford to move back home? My questions turned to fear and then to panic. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe.

The experience was not new. I had struggled with anxiety since I was a teenager. My mind would wander to all the “what ifs.” Often, I couldn’t cope with the possibilities of what might happen. I would freeze—not even able to make the simplest decisions to move forward.

While not everyone faces anxiety or panic episodes like I did, even as believers, we often embrace worry too quickly. We allow our thoughts to drift to the future and linger a bit too long on the “what ifs.” In the process, our hearts fail to take every thought captive and focus on what God is speaking to us in the present moment. 

In Luke 12, Jesus warned His disciples—and us: “Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs” (vv. 29-30). 

If anyone had a good reason to be anxious, David did. King Saul had chased him from caves, around mountains, and through the wilderness, killing those who got in his way. What chance did David have? Saul had employed thousands of elite men. David only had hundreds who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented (1 Samuel 22:2). But David kept his focus on God, and God led him and his men to a place where David could conquer his enemy without a fight (1 Samuel 24). 

God met David’s needs every step of the way, and He is with us, too. Our worry shifts our thoughts from God’s presence—and possibly His direction—to some uncontrollable moment in the future. And we miss what God is speaking to us in the “right now.” 

In my panic, I missed the still small voice that answered each one of the questions I asked that day: Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. (Isaiah 41:10) I had to learn this lesson again—the hard way. For the next year, I watched my Father provide for every need I had until He opened the door to my next job. I didn’t even have to touch my meager savings. 

That is what our God can do! If He is pleased to give us the kingdom, won’t He be willing to provide for our needs today? Trust Him to provide. He is faithful. 

~

Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.