Do Not Be Anxious

Inside: Worry steals our peace and forgets the gospel. But God’s Word reminds us: He cares for us and provides what we truly need. Fixing our eyes on Him brings peace.

I have a confession to make—I struggle with worry.

The passage below from Matthew 6:25–34 reminds me what Jesus says to worriers like myself. I want to walk through this passage today to speak to my heart—and hopefully to yours too. My prayer is that we’ll both be reminded that the Lord knows what we need and has already provided for it.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,
yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
—Matthew 6:25–34 (ESV)

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What Worry Does

Worry defined: To give way to anxiety or unease; to allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles.

When I’m up in the middle of the night, caught in the “what ifs” and “what abouts,” my mind is distracted and unsettled. It runs through every possible scenario that may or may not happen.

In those moments, my joy and peace in the Lord are stolen. Idolatry begins to take root, because in my worry I’m essentially saying, I want to be God. I’m questioning His ability to care for me. I’m seeking my kingdom—not His.

Worry reveals pride in my heart. I believe—whether I say it out loud or not—that if I think hard enough, I can solve this on my own without God’s help.

Worry is sin.

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God’s Care for Us

Matthew 6:26 reminds us that we are of more value than the birds of the air. The Lord cares for them—surely He will care for us. We are created in His image, and if we are in Christ, He has set His love upon us.

Look again at the lilies and the grass of the field (vv. 28–30). They are beautiful, and yet fleeting. If God tends even to these, how much more will He provide for His children?

God knows what we need. He cares for us. He loves us.

That doesn’t mean we’ll always get what we want, but it does mean that everything we truly need has been, and will be, given to us.

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I Worry Because I Forget the Gospel

When I’m anxious, I’m forgetting what Jesus has done for me. I’m forgetting God’s great love for me, shown so clearly through the Cross.

When we’re anxious about anything, we’re questioning whether the Lord really cares for us.

So if God has promised to care for all my needs, why do I still worry?

Because I forget the Gospel. I forget the finished work of Christ. I forget how deeply I’m loved.

We are a forgetful people. That’s why we must constantly remind our hearts of what is true.

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The Gospel

“Everything we need has been given to us in Christ. Ponder that—everything—not some things or many things, but everything.
Let’s look at just a few of the beautiful truths that are ours if we are in Christ:
We are loved, adopted, chosen, forgiven, redeemed, citizens of heaven, children of the King, no longer under condemnation, sealed by the Holy Spirit, God is working all things in our lives together for good, never alone, and in the twinkling of an eye will spend all eternity with Him in glory—to just name a few.
These truths, of all that is ours in and through the Gospel, should change the way we look at everything.
His love for us is not based on our outward performance. His love for us is based on the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross.”
—Taken from How to Preach the Gospel to Yourself

What is the Gospel?

“The good news is that the one and only God, who is holy, made us in His image to know Him. But we sinned and cut ourselves off from Him.
In His great love, God became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the Cross, thus fulfilling the law Himself and taking on Himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever turn and trust in Him.
He rose again from the dead, showing that God accepted Christ’s sacrifice and that God’s wrath against us had been exhausted.
He now calls us to repent of our sins and to trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness.
If we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into a new life—an eternal life with God.”
—Taken from Can You Explain the Gospel in a Minute?

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God’s Sovereignty and Our Worry

The Gospel reminds me that everything I truly need has been given to me in Christ.

God desires that our joy be found in Him. Sometimes, something we hold dear may need to be taken away—so that He becomes our treasure.

Every difficulty we face and every challenging relationship is filtered through His loving, sovereign hands.

When my mind begins to spiral into worry, I try to pause and ask, “Why am I worrying?” Then I look to what the Lord has done. Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, interceding for us (Romans 8:34). I don’t have to stay in a thought pattern that robs my peace and puts the focus on me instead of Christ.

I can cast all my cares on Him, because He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7)—and He’s proven that care through the Cross.

Jesus is going to return, and all will be made right. The power of sin has been broken. Jesus was tempted to worry (Hebrews 4:15) but never gave in. His perfect record is now ours, if we’ve repented and trusted in Him alone.

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Putting Off My Worry

“Worry is the antithesis of trust. You simply cannot do both. They are mutually exclusive.”
—Elisabeth Elliot

Many times when I wake in the middle of the night or my mind begins to wander into worry, I quietly pray, “Lord, I’m doing it again.” I ask Him to draw me back to Himself. To remind me of His mercy and grace. To help me entrust this to Him.

I’m reminded that I can’t do this in my own strength—but He is at work in me. In Christ, my faith will not fail. I can trust Him completely because of what He has already done for me.

I begin to speak His Word to myself. I memorize passages like:

• Philippians 4:6–7 – Do not be anxious about anything…
• Philippians 4:8 – Whatever is true, honorable… think about these things.
• Matthew 6:25–34 – Seek first His kingdom…

When I take my requests to the Lord in prayer, He gives peace. In the middle of the night, I often realize my thoughts aren’t grounded in truth. Philippians 4:8 gently calls me back to what is right and real.

Over time, as I meditate on these passages and the work of Christ, He strengthens my faith. And when I do struggle with worry, I find myself quicker to return to the Gospel—the anchor that reminds me I don’t need to be anxious about anything.

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Don’t Be Anxious

My prayer today is that we will keep fighting the good fight against worry. That we won’t be anxious about our lives—but instead, remember that God has already given us everything we need in the Gospel.

Let’s seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness in all things.

The Gospel reminds us that nothing can separate us from His love—no matter what we face.

“The best antidote for anxiety is frequent meditation upon God’s goodness, power, and sufficiency…
Nothing is too big and nothing is too little to spread before and cast upon the Lord.”
—A.W. Pink

Related Resources:

A Small Book for the Anxious Heart: Meditations on Fear, Worry, and Trust  by Edward T. Welch

Overcoming Anxiety: Relief for Worried People by David Powlison