Why does a child of God worry?

Probing Proverbs 12:25 Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.

One of Henry Ward Beecher’s favorite stories was about a young man who was applying for a job in a New England factory. Asking for the owner, he found himself in the presence of a nervous, fidgety man who looked hopelessly dyspeptic. “The only vacancy here,” he told the applicant, “is a vice-presidency. The man that takes the job must shoulder all my cares.” “That’s a tough job,” said the applicant. “What’s the salary?” “I’ll pay you ten thousand a year if you will really take over all my worries.” “Where is the ten thousand coming from?” asked the applicant, suspiciously. “That my friend,” replied the owner, “is your first worry.”^[1]

“Worry” is a word we all dislike, yet all have experienced. Some…have a minor knowledge of this experience, but they are few. Most, like myself, have a deep knowledge of this experience. Before I was in a relationship with God I had a “doctorate” in this subject! Now, years later, I still wrestle with it, but have learned Who will deliver me from this experience. I do not claim 100% victory over worry, but have seen far more victories than failures as I learn to actually train my mind to live Philippians 4:6-7. Here is what I memorized years ago:

Philippians 4:6–7 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Consider the NLT version, which uses a more common everyday English:

Philippians 4:6–7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

This Proverb paints a very good picture of what worry does to us. Consider where this word came from and what it originally meant.

Worry:

[Middle English worien, from Old English wyrgan; akin to Old High German wurgen to strangle, Lithuanian veržti to constrict] (before 12th century) transitive verb

1 dialect British : CHOKE, STRANGLE

2 a : to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping especially at the throat

4 : to afflict with mental distress or agitation : make anxious (1) [2]

What a great picture of this word, “Choke, Strangle!” Even though it may not be physical, it definitely chokes out our joy and can strangle our life. In fact, medical science has proven that worry and anxiety can shorten our life!

Here is the key question that must be faced: Why do we, children of God, struggle with worry and anxiety?   

For myself I have discovered that when I worry, it is because I do not believe in at least one of these three Truths.

Why do we worry, or become anxious?

1. God is Sovereign!

Theologically we know this is true, yet emotionally we find ourselves wondering is God really is in control. We look at the circumstance and give it the ultimate power in our life. We lose our compass and forget that NOTHING comes into our life as a child of God that God did not at least allow. When we surrender to the reality that God is in control our confidence will move back to Him instead of the circumstance. I have experienced this, even recently. One night I could not sleep because of worry. The next night, after recognizing Who my God is, I awoke again, but this time instead of worrying, I talked with my Dad about it, and before I knew it I was back asleep.  

The second Truth we fail to believe is:

2. God is not mean!

Please do not kid yourself. I know all of us believe God is love, but in the midst of a severe trial we can think thoughts like, “if You loved me God why did you allow this,” or “God must be mad at me.” These thoughts are the flesh’s subtle way to raise doubt about God’s motives. God has confirmed two very important facts about our life and His heart.

First, this life is made up of seasons and all will go through them:

Ecclesiastes 3:1–8  For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born…die… plant…harvest….kill…heal…tear down…build up…cry…laugh…grieve…dance…scatter stones…gather stones…embrace…turn away…search…quit searching…keep…throw away…tear…mend…quiet…speak…love…hate…war…peace.

Second, His love never fails!

Psalm 103:8–10 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.

The third truth we fail to embrace completely is:

3. Rom 8:28 is true

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose

The reason is because we try to “reason” from our finite mind and perspective how anything “good” can come from what’s happening to us. Only God sees the whole picture, which many times is hidden from us.  I recently forgot that as I was being led to leave the ministry and the people I loved working with. Since I have embraced this Truth again, there is a new confidence in my life.

 Remember, it states “all things!” That means everything...100%.  When you do not look, you will not find! God will always show you “some” of the good, if it is only learning to trust Him more!   

The so what? What are you worrying about? What are you doing about that?

---

^[1] Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 1642). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.

^{[2]  Merriam-Webster, I. (1996). Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.}