Back in 1988, singer Bobby McFerrin released a song titled, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” The song went on to be number one. One line of the lyrics of that song says that, “In every life we have some trouble.” This lyric reflects a Biblical truth taught by Jesus when He said that in this life we will have trouble but we should take peace in the fact that He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Worry is not the solution to trouble in our lives or even perceived trouble. The answer is Jesus.
Corrie ten Boom once said, “Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength – carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” Jesus taught that each day has its own trouble. We should not be anxious about the troubles that may face us tomorrow. They may come or they may not. The time to worry about tomorrow is tomorrow. Our focus should be on today (Matthew 6:34).
Worry is anxiety about the future. But when we worry about the future, what we are really showing is a lack of trust in God, in His provision, and in His purpose. Jesus said that we are not to be anxious about our lives. We should not be anxious about what will happen tomorrow, worrying about life’s uncertainties (Matthew 9:25). Worrying does not add a single minute to our lives (Matthew 9:27). Instead, as Corrie ten Boom said, it saps us of the strength we have today.
We need to always keep in mind that God knows what we need and when we seek Him above all things, including worry, then He will provide (Matthew 9:32-33). In his second letter, the apostle Peter gave good advice on how to handle our worries. We are to cast them on God. We are to take all of our anxieties, all of our worries, and cast them on Him. Not just some of our anxieties. It shouldn’t be done piecemeal. We are to cast ALL of them. Why? Because we have a God who cares for us (2 Peter 5:7).
A Worshiper's Journal 