Addicted to Worry

If worry can be an addiction then several of my family members are addicts. I’ve heard more than one relative say something like, “If I didn’t have anything to worry about, I’d invent something.” If you suffer from chronic worrying, then know that you’re not walking in God’s best for your life.

Michel de Montaigne, a philosopher of the French Renaissance, once said, “My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened.”

You can read through the entire Bible, and you will not find one verse that says, “God worried.” God does not wring His hands, trying to figure out what to do. He does not stay up at night, rehashing thoughts of what might happen. He does not call all the angels together, telling them about all that worries Him under the pretense of wanting prayer. He is never anxious, and He never intended for you to worry.

Here is a very simple saying that will change your life if you take it to heart: If I have time to worry, then I have time to pray.

Our Example

Several years ago, I drove past a church that had a sign out front which read, “Worry is faith in the devil.” Those words felt like a pitcher of ice cold water tossed in my face. Worry was almost a family heritage—something I grew up around and heard spoken on a regular basis.

The closer I walked with the Lord, the more confident I grew in the belief that the Lord wants His children to live in peace. Peace and worry cannot exist at the same time. One will drive out the other. The good news is that you have a free will and ultimately get to decide which you will allow to reign.

Jesus is our example, so let’s look at what he says about worry:

Luke 10:41-42: And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Matthew 6:26-27: Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

Matthew 6:34: Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

While it is impossible to keep worrisome thoughts from dropping into your mind, it is completely possible to take them captive and refuse to give them place.

The Solution

While Jesus showed compassion and concern for others, He did not worry. So, what did He do instead?

He communed with the Father. Often.

Prayer was not an afterthought but evidence of an intimate relationship. In Luke 5:16, he tells us that Jesus withdrew often into the wilderness and prayed.

Communing is spending time in His presence with your mind on Him—not on the laundry, the bills, or the television. Communing with God can happen while singing praises to His Name, reading your Bible, or sitting in silence, resting in Him.

If you want to see the greatest change in your inclination to worry, spend more time with your Heavenly Father. Take your petitions to Him, trusting that He cares for you. In His presence, worries fall and faith rises.

Paul states in 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Peace desires to replace worry. It is not elusive or hiding. It is waiting for you to evict worry so it can move in. Let today be the day you say, “I am anxious for nothing. Worry has no place in me. My faith is in Christ Jesus. I will trust in the Lord! Worry—be gone! In Jesus Name. Amen.”

And amen.