The human mind is not compatible with worry! Worry is anxiety about things that you cannot control. Jesus tells you not to worry about even the most basic needs of life. He even tells you how to pray so that you will not worry.
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus instructs you to ask God for your daily bread. By reading the verses that come after the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6, we see that Christ was talking about more than just asking God for bread. Three times, (in verses 25, 28, and 31), Jesus commands that you not worry about your life, clothes or food. That is amazing! Worry messes with your mind. When you worry, you can’t think well!
Worry is different from faith. Faith is choosing the path of obedience and trusting God to honor you as you obey. The Israelites thought they had reason to worry about the giant Goliath. “How can we defeat this giant human killing machine?” Surely, if there was ever a good reason to worry, Goliath would qualify.
But, David acted in faith, he was concerned about God’s honor. While others were consumed with fear and worry, David was consumed with God’s honor and killed the pagan champion. Identify the Goliaths in your life, the things that cause you to worry, the things that seem too big handle, the things that drive you from faith. Ask God to help you to seek first his kingdom in each of these areas. Focus on doing what brings honor to God in any particular situation. This is the focus that will free you from worry.
Following Christ’s loving instruction, you can begin to replace worry with a prayer of faith similar to this for you and your family.
Dear heavenly Father, this day we need your care to sustain us. We need your protection from the many trials of everyday life. We face temptation to worry. We need the power of your Holy Spirit to help us not to worry about the things you control. By your grace, may we seek your kingdom first in all that we do. Right now, this day, may we serve you. If tomorrow comes then we will deal with tomorrow. Please father, give us what we need today, our daily bread and strength to serve you, so that we can honor you. Help us to flee from worry and into the arms of Jesus Christ. In his name, Amen.
Teach your children to move beyond worry and trust in God’s faithfulness to do what he has promised.