Don’t Worry – Introduction – DW1

Scripture: Philippians 4:6

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (Philippians 4:6 NLT)

To worry is to be anxious or concerned, to fret, to be troubled. Worry doesn’t actually depend on the circumstances or problems that we actually face, instead worry is a thing that happens in our minds. Some people are dedicated, fervent worriers whose lives are filled with ‘hand-wringing’, ‘nail-biting’, ‘forehead wrinkling’ worry, while others seem to drift through life oblivious to it all. But while not everyone worries the same, or about the same things, or in the same way, worry, anxiety, concern, and uneasiness is a reality for all of us at one time or another.

We worry about different things at different ages and stages of life. But we pretty much all worry about finances and provision, about health and safety, about where we fit, about what people think of us, about whether we’re good enough, about losing people we love, about lots of things! Truth is, something like 93% of the things we worry about are things that never happen or things in the past that nothing can be done about anyway! Mark Twain said, “My life has been filled with terrible misfortune; most of which never happened.”

Sometimes the things we worry about aren’t “real” and don’t really happen, but the stress and pain of worry is absolutely real. We can get caught in the “Worst Case Scenario” syndrome, or the “What if”, or the “If only” trap. Worry can rob our peace of mind, it can damage our health, and it can paralyze us so that we’re afraid to love, afraid to risk, afraid to live! So what about it? Do we who worry just have to live with it?

We’re fellow-pilgrims on this journey, friends. Let’s walk through this together for the next few days. I’m not going to offer a magic pill or a simplistic “you’ll never have to worry again” solution. God’s Word has some insights for us and some practical steps we can take to begin to break the cycle. And if you’re an “I never worry about a thing” person, please be patient with the rest of us. We’re going to make some progress in the right direction!

Prayer:

Father, Please give us insight and faith to break the bonds of worry and anxiety and live our lives in the sunshine of your love! By your Word and your Spirit. Amen!