Anxiety-Worry-Quotes, Devotionals & Illustrations

Updated: Wed, 11/23/2016 - 14:36 By admin

Anxiety is a very picturesque word, pictures to be pulled in different directions. Our hopes pull us in one direction; our fears (see topic: How To Handle Fear) pull us the opposite direction; and we are pulled apart! The English word "anxious" has a very "telling" derivation from the Latin word Latin anxius which is akin to Latin angere which means to strangle! Isn't that what anxiety does to most of us...strangle us and render us ineffective in God's kingdom work?

Anxious: Characterized by extreme uneasiness of mind or brooding fear about some contingency (Webster, modern). Worried and tense because of possible misfortune, danger, etc. (Collins) Experiencing worry, nervousness, or unease. (Oxford) Concern or solicitude respecting some event, future or uncertain, which disturbs the mind, and keeps it in a state of painful uneasiness. it expresses more than uneasiness or disturbance, and even more than trouble or solicitude. it usually springs from fear or serious apprehension of evil, and involves a suspense respecting an event, and often, a perplexity of mind, to know how to shape our conduct. (Webster, 1828) A state of restlessness and agitation, often with general indisposition and a distressing sense of oppression at the epigastrium. (Webster, 1913)

Worry has a fascinating etymology which can be traced back to the Old High German "wurgen" which means "to strangle" which is what worry does to our joy! Webster adds that in "dialect British" worry means to "choke" or to "strangle". The first definition of "worry" in Webster is "to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping especially at the throat", and then "to subject to persistent or nagging attention or effort" and "to afflict with mental distress or agitation = make anxious". (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 10th ed. Springfield, Mass)

Worrying may shorten one's life, but not as quickly as it once did. The ancestor of our word, Old English wyrgan, meant “to strangle.” (Ed note: Isn't this what worry does to our joy?)

Its Middle English descendant, worien, kept this sense and developed the new sense “to grasp by the throat with the teeth and lacerate” or “to kill or injure by biting and shaking.” This is the way wolves or dogs might attack sheep, for example.

In the 16th century worry began to be used in the sense “to harass, as by rough treatment or attack,” or “to assault verbally,” and in the 17th century the word took on the sense “to bother, distress, or persecute.” It was a small step from this sense to the main modern senses “to cause to feel anxious or distressed” and “to feel troubled or uneasy,” first recorded in the 19th century. (American Heritage Dictionary)

Worry: feel or cause to feel troubled over actual or potential difficulties. Expressing anxiety. (Concise Oxford). To choke or strangle - to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping especially at the throat. Mental distress or agitation resulting from concern usually for something impending or anticipated. Worry suggests fretting over matters that may or may not be real cause for anxiety (Webster) To be or cause to be anxious or uneasy, esp. about something uncertain or potentially dangerous. To disturb the peace of mind of (Collins)

Another word that is synonymous with worry and anxiety is the verb fret (derived from Old English word fretan meaning to devour or consume), which literally means to eat or gnaw into and figuratively pictures causing one to suffer emotional strain, be distressed, or feel vexation. Again the etymology or origin of the word fret so perfectly describes the detrimental, destructive effect of the emotional state of worry and anxiety. Fret is used in the KJV translation of 1 Samuel 1:6 speaking of Hannah's trial for "her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb." The Hebrew word for "fret" in 1 Sa 1:6 is ra'am which means to tumble, to be violently agitated; to crash (of thunder) and here used figuratively meaning to irritate (with anger). How did Hannah respond? Like a normal human being with a heavy burden - she wept (even bitterly), lost her appetite, was sad, was greatly distressed, oppressed in spirit (1 Sa 1:7,8, 10, 15). And yet in the face of these very real emotions and feelings, she made the wise choice to cast her heavy burden on Jehovah and she did this by prayer, even "speaking in her heart" with "only her lips...moving" pouring our her "soul before Jehovah." (1 Sa 1:10-13, 14, 15). Hannah is a beautiful, poignant example of what every believer should do when weighed down by worry, anxiety and fretting! In fact, let me suggest you spend some time in 1 Samuel 1:1-28 and meditate on Hannah's pain and her "plan" and the Lord's provision! The God Who showed Himself to be mighty in Hannah's life is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and He desires to show Himself mighty in your life. Will you mediate on His Word and let it feed your soul? Will you cast all your anxiety on Him, knowing (knowing because you know His character and His trustworthiness, cp 1 Cor 10:13-note) that He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7-10-note)? His Name is Yahweh, the great "I Am" Who says in His Word in essence "I Am anything and everything you will ever need in this present life and the life to come." Amen Thank You Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen and amen.

Anxiety:(3308) (merimna from merizo = to divide or draw different directions - which is exactly what anxiety does to most of us!) refers to a care (the sole way it is translated in the KJV) or concern and so to care for someone or something. It is often used in a negative sense and thus is translated as "worry". From the origin, one can see that merimna describes the state of "being pulled apart.” Thus when circumstances are difficult, it is easy to let oneself be dominated by anxiety and worry.

Merimna is used 6 times in the NT (Matt. 13:22; Mk. 4:19; Lk. 8:14; 21:34; 2Co. 11:28; 1 Pet. 5:7) and is translated KJV (6) - care, 6 and NAS (6) - anxiety, 1; concern, 1; worries, 3; worry, 1 There are 5 uses in the Septuagint - Esther 1:1; Job 11:18; Ps. 55:22; Prov. 17:12; Da. 11:26

Be anxious (3309) (merimnao from merimna = anxious care from meris = part, in turn from [Sources: Vine's Expository Dictionary, Ralph Earle - Word Meanings in the NT] the verb merizo = to distract, to divide, to draw different directions - which is exactly what anxiety does to most of us!) expresses a strong feeling for something or someone, often to the point of being burdened. Although this can be a "positive" concern, in most of the NT uses it refers to an anxious concern, based on apprehension about possible danger or misfortune, and so it means to be worried about, to be anxious about, to be apprehensive (viewing the future with anxiety or alarm), to be unduly concerned, to be burdened with anxious care or cumbered with many cares and in simple terms to worry.

Lawrence Richards has an excellent summary of the Greek verb merimnao and noun merimna noting that…

The verb originally meant "to care," or "to be concerned about." When used by the Greeks concerning the future… both came to connote anxious expectation. When used of the present, the words expressed an aching sense of grief. The meaning of any term, however, is defined by the way it is used. It is the way that Jesus and the writers of the Gospels and Epistles, guided by the Holy Spirit, used words that filled them with their biblical meaning… According to the Bible, anxiety is often legitimate. The word indicates first of all a sense of concern for self and/or for others. In 1Co 7, for instance, it is used to express the commendable concern of a person for his or her spouse (1Co 7:33, 34) and the concern of each "about the Lord's affairs," that is, how to "please the Lord" (1Co 7:32). Paul speaks of the daily "pressure of [his] concern [merimna] for all the churches" (2Co 11:28) and states that God's purpose in the body is that each part have "equal concern [merimnao] for each other" and that "if one part suffers, every part suffers with it" (1Co 12:25, 26). Even in speaking of the "worries of this life" (Mt 13:22; Mk 4:19), Jesus is simply stating a fact of life. We are living in this present world, and there are necessary concerns that each individual must attend to.

But while it is legitimate to have concerns that we will at times experience as demanding pressures, there is a limit to their legitimacy. The "worries of this life" may so dominate our attention that they make God's Word unfruitful in our lives (Mt 13:22; Mark 4:19). The pressures of legitimate concerns can cause us to so focus on worldly matters that we forget to relate our needs and our worries to the Lord… By linking legitimate concerns to God, believers are freed from anxiety and worry. This freedom allows us to concentrate on seeking God's kingdom and his righteousness, knowing that "all these things will be given to [us] as well." So Jesus concludes, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."

What the pagan Greeks experienced as anxious concern over a tomorrow they could not control, the believer who knows God as a loving Father can experience in calm confidence. Released from fears about tomorrow, we can concentrate on doing God's will today, as obedient subjects of a kingdom over which the Almighty rules.

The Gospels recognize the tendency of legitimate human concerns to lead to a loss of perspective; we can forget God and adopt a pagan materialism that looks ahead anxiously and concentrates on running after the material things that seem to offer security. In order to avoid this tendency, believers must orient life to God and realize that life's meaning is to be found in living as subjects who are responsive to their loving, wise, and powerful King.

Both anxiety and worry spring from natural and legitimate concerns that are part of life in this world. But legitimate concerns are handled wrongly when they do one or more of the following: (1) become dominating concerns in our life and lead to fear, (2) destroy our perspective on life and cause us to forget that God exists and cares, or (3) move us to drift into an attitude of constant worry and concern over a future that we cannot control.

Jesus deals with anxiety by calling us to an awareness of God. God does exist, and he cares. He is aware of our needs and is committed to meet our needs. Remaining aware of God frees us from the tyranny of things. It enables us to focus our lives on our relationship with God and go on living a righteous and productive life.

The Epistles add to our understanding by pointing out that areas of legitimate anxiety exist even for the strongest of believers. But the pressures of even legitimate concerns are not to dominate us or to make us habitually anxious, worried people. We escape by using anxiety creatively. This means that we must recognize the feelings of pressure and concern as a call to prayer. We should immediately turn to God to lay our needs and the needs of others before him. We then turn back to live our lives encompassed by his peace. Anxiety, rather than drawing us away from God, draws us to Him and thus fulfills His purpose for it in our lives.(Richards, L O: Expository Dictionary of Bible Words: Regency) (Bolding added)

Focus of Anxiety
An average person’s anxiety is focused on :
• 40% -- things that will never happen
• 30% -- things about the past that can’t be changed
• 12% -- things about criticism by others, mostly untrue
• 10% -- about health, which gets worse with stress
• 8% -- about real problems that will be faced
Source unknown

Casting all your anxiety upon Him…

When Anne Graham Lotz faced a sudden crisis with her son’s unexpected cancer surgery, she opened a little book called Daily Light and found there just the verses she needed:

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all… We know that all things work together for good… With us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles. The Lord your God is in your midst, the Mighty One, will save.’ (Psalm 34:19)

Anne later wrote,

“God has spoken to me more often through the verses in Daily Light than through any other book, except my Bible.”

When CIM missionary Arthur Matthews was trapped in Communist China, uncertain of life or death, he was summoned before authorities who were pressuring him to earn his freedom by agreeing to spy for the Communists. That morning he kissed his wife and little one goodbye, and left for the police station, not knowing if he would ever return. In his pocket, he put a copy of Daily Light.

Vance Havner, the quaint North Carolina evangelist and writer, faced the greatest heartbreak of his life when his beloved Sara contracted a fatal disease. He turned to his Daily Light, and the reading for the day said:

“This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” (John 11:4)

When Sara died, Havner remembered that Lazarus had died, too.

“I felt that God would be glorified in her passing,” Havner later wrote, “and He was.”

When missionaries Russell and Darlene Deibler were trapped in the South Pacific during the Japanese invasion in 1942, they faced the darkest days of their lives. Russell was shortly hauled away to a concentration camp, never to return. That evening, Darlene found comfort in her Daily Light. The reading for the evening of March 13 said:

“O my God, my soul is cast down within me… Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee… Cast thy burden upon the Lord.” (Psalm 42:6, Isaiah 26:3, Psalm 55:22)

“For me in my need,” she later wrote, “the Lord had directed in the arrangement of the verses.” (Morgan, R. J. Nelson's Annual Preacher's Sourcebook : 2002 Edition Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers)

What's the cure for worry? Spiritually stable people react to trials with thankful prayer. Such prayer is the antidote to worry and the cure for anxiety. The theology of prayer is not in view here, but rather its priority and the attitude the believer brings to it.

Do not be anxious about anything! (James Smith, "Daily Food for the Lord's Flock!" 1848)
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God!" Philippians 4:6
Prayer is . . .
always seasonable,
always necessary,
and always profitable!
We should do with our cares as we do with our sins — carry them to Jesus, and cast them on Him.
In every place the throne of grace is near — at all times God is accessible to us. Every trouble furnishes us with a message to Him!
"Cast all your care upon Him, for He ever cares for you!" 1 Peter 5:7

Barnes adds that Paul "does not mean that we are to exercise no care about worldly matters - no care to preserve our property, or to provide for our families (cf 1Ti 5:8); but that there is to be such confidence in God as to free the mind from anxiety, and such a sense of dependence on him as to keep it calm.

QUOTES ON ANXIETY/WORRY

Seen on a church sign - Worry is the darkroom where negatives are developed.
The devil would have us continually crossing streams that do not exist.
Don’t tell me that worry doesn’t do any good. I know better. The things I worry about don’t happen.
Worry casts a big shadow behind a small thing.
Worry is today’s mice nibbling on tomorrow’s cheese.
Take courage: if God doesn't choose to remove an obstacle, He will help you plow around it!
Even though you can't control your circumstances, you can control your attitude.
Worry is a complete cycle of inefficient thought revolving around a pivot of fear. (Think about that one a moment!)
As we refuse to worry about the "tomorrows" and begin to trust God for the "todays," we find grace and guidance for each step of the way. We don't need to see beyond what God shows us today. When we follow His leading, we have enough light for each step of the way
Happy is the man who is too busy to worry by day, and too sleepy to worry at night.
If we worry, we cannot trust. If we trust we won't worry.
Satan seeks to crush our spirit by getting us to bear tomorrow's burdens with only today's grace!
God never asks us to bear tomorrows burdens with todays grace!
It is comforting to know that the Lord Who guides us sees tomorrow more clearly than we see yesterday!
Worry means we believe more in our PROBLEMS than in God's PROMISES!
Have you ever noticed that "I" is always found in the center of anx-I-ety?
Why worry when you can trust. It is like a rocking chair, it give you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere.
"Worry comes through human interference with the divine plan.
You cannot change the past, but you ruin a perfectly good present by worrying about the future.
Why worry when you can pray?"
You're only cooking up trouble when you stew about tomorrow.
Put your cares in God's hands. He'll put His peace in your heart! (cp Ps 55:22-note)
Worrying is paying interest on troubles that may never come due!
To worry about tomorrow is to be unhappy today.
Only one type of worry is correct: to worry because you worry too much.
Misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never happen.
Anxiety springs from the desire that things should happen as we wish rather than as God wills.
Worry is merely unbelief parading in disguise
Leave tomorrow’s trouble to tomorrow’s strength; tomorrow’s work to tomorrow’s time; tomorrow’s trial to tomorrow’s grace and to tomorrow’s God.
Life’s too short for worrying. Yes, that’s what worries me.
Worry is carrying a burden God never intended us to bear.
Worry pulls tomorrow’s cloud over today’s sunshine.
The way to be anxious about nothing is to be prayerful about everything.
When we put our cares in God's hands, He puts His peace in our hearts.
Worry is a small trickle of fear that meanders through the mind until it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.
Worry is like a rocking chair; it will give you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere.
Worry is the interest we pay on tomorrow's troubles.
God is a help in trouble. In worry you are on your own.
Your ship is equal to the load of today; but when you are carrying yesterday’s worry and tomorrow’s anxiety, lighten up or you will sink.
Worms eat you when you’re dead; worries eat you when you’re alive.
Worry is wasting today’s time to clutter up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s troubles.
Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.
You can't change the past, but you can ruin a perfectly good present by worrying about the future.
Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success. - Brian Adams
When you worry, which do you worry about, what might happen or what might not happen? Whichever, turn it around, to relieve anxiety. That’s common advice in Scotland. For worriers, the Scots have a proverb: “What may be, may not be.”
Lord Jesus, make my heart sit down. - African Proverb
Care (anxious) and prayer are as mutually opposed as fire and water. -J. A. Bengel
Anxiety is the poison of human life.- Hugh Blair
Worry is to life and progress what sand is to the bearings of perfect engines. - Roger Babson
Fretting is the caressing of the old nature.- Donald Grey Barnhouse
It is not work that kills men. It is worry. Work is healthy. . . . Worry rusts upon the blade. - Henry Ward Beecher
There are people who are always anticipating trouble; they manage to enjoy many sorrows that never really happen to them.- Josh Billings
Worry and worship are mutually exclusive.- John Blanchard
Anxiety never strengthens you for tomorrow; it only weakens you for today.- John Blanchard
Care admitted as a guest quickly turns to be master. - Christian N Bovee
There are two days in the week about which I never worry. Two carefree days kept sacredly free from fear and apprehension. One of these days is yesterday—and the other day I do not worry about is tomorrow. - Robert Burdette
Anxiety is a word of unbelief or unreasoning dread. We have no right to allow it. Full faith in God puts it to rest.-Horace Bushnell
People who do not know how to fight worry, die young. - Alexis Carroll
Un-belief is a fretful, worrying, questioning, annoying, self-centred spirit. To believe is to stop all this and let God work.- Oswald Chambers
Worry is an indication that we think God cannot look after us.- Oswald Chambers
Our yesterdays present irreparable things to us; it is true that we have lost opportunities which will never return but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ.- Oswald Chambers
The one thing that keeps us from the possibility of worrying is bringing God in as the greatest factor in all our calculations.- Oswald Chambers
Quick is the succession of human events; the cares of today are seldom the cares of tomorrow; and when we lie down at night, we may safely say to most of our troubles, “You have done your worst, and we shall meet no more. - William Cowper
Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its strength. - A J Cronin
Every evening I turn worries over to God. He’s going to be up all night anyway. - Mary C. Crowley
God never built a Christian strong enough to carry today’s duties and tomorrow’s anxieties piled on top of them. - T L Cuyler
Only man clogs his happiness with care, destroying what is, with thoughts of what may be. - John Dryden
Anxiety is the rust of life, destroying its brightness and weakening its power. A childlike and abiding trust in providence is its best preventative and remedy.- Tryon Edwards
Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. - Benjamin Franklin
Anxiety is the fundamental phenomenon and the central problem of neurosis.- Sigmund Freud
Seventy percent of all patients who come to physicians could cure themselves if they only got rid of their fears, worries, and bad eating habits. - O F Gober
Anxiety is the natural result when our hopes are centered in anything short of God and his will for us.- Billy Graham
Worries flee before a spirit of gratitude.- Billy Graham
Jesus used the carefree attitude of the birds to underscore the fact that worrying is unnatural. I am learning in my own life, day by day, to keep my mind centered on Christ.- Billy Graham
As long as you look only at the situation in the world today, it will be very hard . . . to overcome your worries because it is true that there are many problems and the future is unknown to us.- Billy Graham
Lift your eyes beyond your circumstances and learn instead to trust God. Worrying . . . won’t change anything.- Billy Graham
When worry is present, trust cannot crowd its way in.- Billy Graham
Man has always been beset by worry, and the pressures of modern life have aggravated the problem . . .Many . . . are filled with a thousand anxieties. Bring them to Jesus Christ by faith. He will bring peace to your soul and your mind.- Billy Graham
Memorizing the Bible is most important. “Thinking God’s thoughts” will take the place of worried, anxious concerns.- Billy Graham
Only the Holy Spirit can give us peace in the midst of the storms of restlessness and despair. We should not grieve our Guide by indulging in worry or paying undue attention to self.- Billy Graham
Pray for wisdom to deal with whatever is worrying you. Pray that God will act to change the circumstances according to His will. He doesn’t always do what we want Him to—but He knows what’s best for us, and He can be trusted.- Billy Graham
Some people spend so much time worrying about what might happen that they never enjoy what is happening [now] . . . Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.- Billy Graham
Anxiety in the heart of a man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.—Proverbs 12:25NKJV
Though we have less to worry about than previous generations, we have more worry. Though we have it easier than our forefathers, we have more uneasiness. Though we have less real cause for anxiety than our predecessors, we are inwardly more anxious. .- Billy Graham
Historians will probably call our era “the age of anxiety.” Anxiety is the natural result when our hopes are centered in anything short of God and His will for us. .- Billy Graham
Hypochondriacs who have a fanciful anxiety about their health will never be well regardless of their physical condition..- Billy Graham
Is it any wonder that fear and anxiety have become the hallmarks of our age?.- Billy Graham
Anxiety and fear are like baby tigers: The more you feed them, the stronger they grow. .- Billy Graham
God’s star promised peace to the whole world . . .too often man’s synthetic stars bring fear and anxiety. Our gadget-filled paradise, suspended in a hell of international insecurity, certainly does not offer us the happiness of which the last century dreamed. But there is still a star in the sky. .- Billy Graham
No situation is beyond God’s control. Over my wife’s desk are these words: “Fear not the future; God is already there.” .- Billy Graham
Men and women who give [Christ] first place find that there is no need for anxiety about this world’s goods..- Billy Graham
Undue care is an intrusion into God's arena. It makes us the father of the household instead of being a child. - David Guzik
Worry is an intrusion into God's providence.- John Edmund Haggai
To carry care to bed is to sleep with a pack on your back.- Thomas Haliburton
Never attempt to bear more than one kind of trouble at once. Some people bear three kinds—all they have had, all they have now and all they expect to have.- Edward Everett Hale
It is not work but worry that kills, and it is amazing how much wear the human mind and body can stand if it is free from friction and well oiled by the Spirit.- Vance Havner
Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry. Worry never fixes anything. - Mary Hemingway
Disquieting care is the common fruit of an abundance of this world, and the common fault of those that have abundance.- Matthew Henry
Anxiety is the interest paid on trouble before it is due. - William R. Inge
How much have cost us the evils that never happened! - T. Jefferson
Tain’t worthwhile to wear a day all out before it comes. Sarah O Jewett
Worry is sin against the loving care of the Father.- E. Stanley Jones
Worry is the traitor in our camp that dampens our powder and weakens our aim.- William Jordan
When I don’t have anything to worry about, I begin to worry about that. - Walter Kelly
The essence of worry... is the absence of thought, a failure to think.- D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Worry has an active imagination.- D. Martyn. Lloyd Jones
One is given strength to bear what happens to one, but not the one hundred and one different things that might happen. - C S Lewis
A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work.- John Lubbock
Anxiety is not only a pain which we must ask God to assuage but also a weakness we must ask him to pardon—for he's told us to take no care for the morrow. -C. S. Lewis
Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble. - George Lyons
No man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load yourself so. - George MacDonald
Anxious care rests upon a basis of heathen worldly-mindedness and of heathen misunderstanding of the character of God.- Alexander Maclaren
What does your anxiety do? It does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but it does empty today of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it when it comes. God gives us the power to bear all the sorrow of His making, but He does not guarantee to give us strength to bear the burdens of our own making such as worry induces. - Ian Maclaren
Not work, but worry makes us weary.- S. L. McMillen
Two things come between our souls and unshadowed fellowship—sin and care. We must be as resolute to cast our care upon the Lord as to confess our sins to him. - F. B.Meyer
Careful for nothing, prayerful for everything, thankful for anything. - D L Moody
I read somewhere that when you make yourself smile, the very act of smiling lifts your spirits and makes it easier for you to pull out of discouragement. But notice that this is a qualified statement. This isn’t like the song that says: “Don’t worry! Be happy!” It doesn’t just say “Rejoice.” It tells us to rejoice in the Lord. - Robert Morgan
The great American doctor, Charles Mayo, said that worry is the disease of doubt. He said it affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, the whole nervous system. I have never known a man who died from overwork, but many who have died from doubt. - Robert Morgan
In his book, In the Arena, President Nixon quoted Winston Churchill as saying: Worry is an emotional spasm which occurs when the mind catches hold of something and will not let it go.” (Quoted by Richard Nixon in In the Arena, p. 163.) - Robert Morgan
Since worry and anxiety are conditions of the mind, one of the best remedies is to push them aside with healthier thoughts. Romans 12 says that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. Isaiah said, "Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee." (Isaiah 26:3) Learn to memorize and meditate on Scripture. - Robert Morgan
The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. - George Mueller
It is distrust of God to be troubled about what is to come; impatience against God to be troubled with what is present; and anger at God to be troubled for what is past. - Simon Patrick
It ain’t no use putting up your umbrella till it rains. - Alice C Rice
Cares are more difficult to throw off than sorrows; the latter die with time; the former grow upon it. - Johann P F Richter
Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all others thoughts are drained. - Arthur Somers Roche
Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.- A. S. Roche
Half our miseries are caused by things that we think are coming upon us.- J. C. Ryle
All the care in the world will not make us continue a minute beyond the time God has appointed. - J. C. Ryle
For one that big misfortunes slay,Ten die of little worries. - George R Sims
So shaken as we are, so wan with care. - Shakespeare
Where care lodges, sleep will never lie. - Shakespeare
Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength. -- Charles Spurgeon
Can we gain anything by fearing and fuming? Do we not unfit ourselves for action, and unhinge our minds for wise decision? We are sinking by our struggles when we might float by faith. - C. H. Spurgeon
Psalm 31:15 "My times are in Thy hand" - A full belief in the statement of our text is a cure for present worry. - C. H. Spurgeon
There is no more blessed way of living than a life of dependence upon a covenant-keeping God. We have no care, for He cares for us; we have no troubles, because we cast our burdens upon the Lord. - C. H. Spurgeon
In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul” (Ps. 94:19). Turn your eyes to the deep things of God. Cease from an anxious consideration of seen things, which are temporary, and gaze by faith on things that are eternal. - C. H. Spurgeon
It does not matter how heavy troubles are if you can cast them on the Lord. The heavier they are, so much the better, for the more you have gotten rid of, and the more there is laid on the rock.- C. H. Spurgeon
Spurgeon speaks of an evening when he was riding home after a heavy day’s work. He felt weary and depressed, when as suddenly as a lightning flash came this verse, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” He said, “I should think it is, Lord,” and he burst out laughing. It seemed to make unbelief so absurd. “It was as if some little fish, being very thirsty, was troubled about drinking the river dry, and the river says, ‘Drink away, little fish, my stream is sufficient for thee.’ “Or, it seemed like a little mouse in the granaries of Egypt after seven years of plenty fearing it might die of famine, and Joseph might say, ‘Cheer up, little mouse, my granaries are sufficient for thee.’ “Again, I imagined a man away up on yonder mountain saying to himself, ‘I fear I shall exhaust all the oxygen in the atmosphere. ‘But the earth might say, ‘Breathe away, oh man, and fill thy lungs ever; my atmosphere is sufficient for thee.'” - C H Spurgeon
If a case is too small to be turned into a prayer it is too small to be made into a burden.- Corrie ten Boom
Unquiet minds and hearts will be uncertain in decision and unsettled in grace.- J. Charles Stern
Bishop William Quayle, awake at night, because of fruitless worrying, heard God say to him, "Quayle, you go to bed; I'll sit up the rest of the night." Whimsically put, that experience symbolizes a matter of major importance in the cure of worry. - George Sweeting
Our English word worry is equivalent to the Greek word merimnao. It is a combination of two words: merizo, meaning "to divide," and nous, meaning "mind." Worry really means "to divide the mind." It means we are double-minded rather than single-minded. The apostle James warned, "A double-minded man [is] unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8). When we are double-minded, we resemble a monster with two heads facing in opposite directions, or we are like rudderless boats, unable to steer straight, "driven and tossed by the wind" (James 1:6). - George Sweeting
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great nineteenth-century preacher, once said that he worried for weeks before a speaking engagement, even to the extent of hoping he would break a leg and miss the event. When he finally entered the pulpit to give the speech, he was exhausted! Then Spurgeon faced up to his fear. He asked himself, What is the worst thing that could happen to me during my sermon? Whatever it was, he decided, the heavens would not collapse. He knew that he had been magnifying his fears. Once he faced his worries for what they were, he relaxed, simply because his mind was no longer divided.- George Sweeting
Let us give up our work, our plans, ourselves, our lives, our loved ones, our influence, our all, right into [God’s] hand; and then, when we have given all over to Him, there will be nothing left for us to be troubled about. - Hudson Taylor
If we bring into one day’s thoughts the evil of many, certain and uncertain, what will be and what will never be, our load will be as intolerable as it is unreasonable. - Jeremy Taylor
If only we would stop lamenting and look up. God is here. Christ is risen. The Spirit has been poured out from on high. All this we know as theological truth. It remains for us to turn it into joyous spiritual experience. - A W Tozer
The Bible pictures God as a very careful, tenderhearted Father, busying Himself about the troubles of His people. He looks after them, goes ahead of them, cares for them and guides them all the way through.
There you see the problem of worry and anxiety is solved by the assurance that while there are things about which to be concerned, why should you worry, when Somebody is taking care of you! - A W Tozer
Truth is just truth—it never has to worry about its image. Truth never worries about the effect it will have, about who is going to hate it or who is going to accept it or what there is to lose and what there is to gain. - A W Tozer
Peace of heart does not come from denying that there is trouble, but comes from rolling your trouble on God. By faith you have the right to call on One who is your brother, the Son of Man who was also the Son of God. And if He’s going to look after you, why should you worry at all!- A W Tozer
Anxiety harasses the soul; it enfeebles, irritates, ruffles the temper, is a sign of mistrust and of failing obedience, and distracts the mind from communion with God. - W E Vine
Worry in faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster and belief in defeat.- William A. Ward
Man, like the bridge, was designed to carry the load of the moment, not the combined weight of a year at once.- William A. Ward
I dare not fret any more than I dare curse and swear.- John Wesley
Anxiety is a self-contradiction to true humility.- Kenneth Wuest
Anxious care is out of place in a heavenly Father's presence.- Kenneth Wuest

Calvin writes that saints "are not made of iron so as not to be shaken by temptations. But this is our consolation, this is our solace --to deposit, or (to speak with greater propriety) to disburden in the bosom of God everything that harasses us. Confidence, it is true, brings tranquility to our minds, but it is only in the event of our exercising ourselves in prayers. Whenever, therefore, we are assailed by any temptation, let us betake ourselves forthwith to prayer, as to a sacred asylum.

C H Spurgeon - Cares to be cast on God
Dear mother, the thought of the children at home has frequently disturbed your devotions in the assembly of the saints. Good friend engaged in business, you do not always find it easy to put a hedge between Saturday and Sunday. The cares of the week will stray into the sacred enclosure of the day of rest, and thus the cruel archers worry you. Ay, and perhaps in the case of those of us who are engaged in God's work, even our solemn engagements enlist against us a set of archers unknown to others; I mean anxieties about the right conducting of services, and arranging the various departments of the church. We become, like Martha, cumbered with much serving, even though we are serving the Lord Jesus Christ himself, and this deprives us of the delightful sitting at his feet, which is heaven below. It is well to be able to cast all our cares on him who careth for us, and thus, by an act of faith in our heavenly Father, to be delivered from the noise of these archers.

D. L. Moody once quipped…

A great many people seem to embalm their troubles. I always feel like running away when I see them coming. They bring out their old mummy, and tell you in a sad voice:

You don't know the troubles I have!

My friends, if you go to the Lord with your troubles, He will take them away. Would you not rather be with the Lord and get rid of your troubles, than be with your troubles and without God? Let trouble come if it will drive us nearer to God.

It is a great thing to have a place of resort in the time of trouble. How people get on without the God of the Bible is a mystery to me. If I didn't have such a refuge, a place to go and pour out my heart to God in such times, I don't know what I would do. It seems as if I would go out of my mind. But to think, when the heart is burdened, we can go and pour it into His ear, and then have the answer come back, "I will be with him," there is comfort in that!

I thank God for the old Book. I thank God for this old promise. It is as sweet and fresh today as it has ever been. Thank God, none of those promises are out of date, or grown stale. They are as fresh and vigorous and young and sweet as ever.

Worry? Why worry? What can worry do?
It never keeps a trouble from overtaking you.
It gives you indigestion and sleepless hours at night
And fills with gloom the days, however fair and bright.
HELEN STEINER RICE

Many of Our Worries are Unfounded and Unnecessary - A bassoon player came up to his conductor, Arturo Toscanini, and nervously said that he could not reach the high E flat. Toscanini just smiled and replied, “Don’t worry. There is no E flat in your music tonight.” Many of our worries are like that—unfounded and unnecessary. Source unknown

Spurgeon - Morning and Evening - “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.” —Psalm 55:22

Care, even though exercised upon legitimate objects, if carried to excess, has in it the nature of sin. The precept to avoid anxious care is earnestly inculcated by our Saviour, again and again; it is reiterated by the apostles; and it is one which cannot be neglected without involving transgression: for the very essence of anxious care is the imagining that we are wiser than God, and the thrusting ourselves into his place to do for him that which he has undertaken to do for us. We attempt to think of that which we fancy he will forget; we labour to take upon ourselves our weary burden, as if he were unable or unwilling to take it for us. Now this disobedience to his plain precept, this unbelief in his Word, this presumption in intruding upon his province, is all sinful. Yet more than this, anxious care often leads to acts of sin. He who cannot calmly leave his affairs in God’s hand, but will carry his own burden, is very likely to be tempted to use wrong means to help himself. This sin leads to a forsaking of God as our counsellor, and resorting instead to human wisdom. This is going to the “broken cistern” instead of to the “fountain;” a sin which was laid against Israel of old. Anxiety makes us doubt God’s lovingkindness, and thus our love to him grows cold; we feel mistrust, and thus grieve the Spirit of God, so that our prayers become hindered, our consistent example marred, and our life one of self-seeking. Thus want of confidence in God leads us to wander far from him; but if through simple faith in his promise, we cast each burden as it comes upon him, and are “careful for nothing” because he undertakes to care for us, it will keep us close to him, and strengthen us against much temptation. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.”

Oswald Chambers - The only rest there is is in abandon to the love of God. There is security from yesterday—“Thou hast beset me behind”; security for to-morrow—“and before”; and security for to-day—“and laid Thine hand upon me.” It was this knowledge that gave our Lord the imperturbable peace He always had. We must be like a plague of mosquitoes to the Almighty, with our fussy little worries and anxieties, and the perplexities we imagine, all because we won’t get into the elemental life with God which Jesus came to give. - Biblical Ethics,

Oswald Chambers - Think what simple things Jesus Christ says will choke His word—“the cares of this world … the lusts of other things.” Once become worried and the choking of the grace of God begins. If we have really had wrought into our hearts and heads the amazing revelation which Jesus Christ gives that God is love and that we can never remember anything He will forget, then worry is impossible. Notice how frequently Jesus Christ warns against worry. The “cares of this world” will produce worry, and the “lusts of other things” entering in will choke the word God has put in. - Biblical Psychology,

Oswald Chambers - One of God’s great don’ts
Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil doing. Psalm 37:8 (R.V.).

Fretting means getting out at elbows mentally or spiritually. It is one thing to say ‘Fret not,’ but a very different thing to have such a disposition that you find yourself able not to fret. It sounds so easy to talk about “resting in the Lord” and “waiting patiently for Him” until the nest is upset—until we live, as so many are doing, in tumult and anguish, is it possible then to rest in the Lord? If this ‘don’t’ does not work there, it will work nowhere. This ‘don’t’ must work in days of perplexity as well as in days of peace, or it never will work. And if it will not work in your particular case, it will not work in anyone else’s case. Resting in the Lord does not depend on external circumstances at all, but on your relationship to God Himself.
Fussing always ends in sin. We imagine that a little anxiety and worry are an indication of how really wise we are; it is much more an indication of how really wicked we are. Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way. Our Lord never worried and He was never anxious, because He was not ‘out’ to realize His own ideas; He was ‘out’ to realize God’s ideas. Fretting is wicked if you are a child of God.
Have you been bolstering up that stupid soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God? Put all ‘supposing’ on one side and dwell in the shadow of the Almighty. Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about that thing. All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.

Oswald Chambers - Careful infidelity
Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body what ye shall put on. Matthew 6:25.

Jesus sums up commonsense carefulness in a disciple as infidelity. If we have received the Spirit of God, He will press through and say—‘Now where does God come in in this relationship, in this mapped-out holiday, in these new books?’ He always presses the point until we learn to make Him our first consideration. Whenever we put other things first, there is confusion.
“Take no thought …”—don’t take the pressure of forethought upon yourself. It is not only wrong to worry, it is infidelity, because worrying means that we do not think that God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never anything else that worries us. Have you ever noticed what Jesus said would choke the word He puts in? The devil? No, the cares of this world. It is the little worries always. I will not trust where I cannot see, that is where infidelity begins. The only cure for infidelity is obedience to the Spirit.
The great word of Jesus to His disciples is abandon.

Oswald Chambers - Are you ever disturbed?
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you. John 14:27.

There are times when our peace is based upon ignorance, but when we awaken to the facts of life, inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When Our Lord speaks peace, He makes peace, His words are ever “spirit and life.” Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? “My peace I give unto you”—it is a peace which comes from looking into His face and realizing His undisturbedness.
Are you painfully disturbed just now, distracted by the waves and billows of God’s providential permission, and having, as it were, turned over the boulders of your belief, are you still finding no well of peace or joy or comfort; is all barren? Then look up and receive the undisturbedness of the Lord Jesus. Reflected peace is the proof that you are right with God because you are at liberty to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. If you allow anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you, you are either disturbed or you have a false security.
Are you looking unto Jesus now, in the immediate matter that is pressing, and receiving from Him peace? If so, He will be a gracious benediction of peace in and through you: But if you try to worry it out, you obliterate Him and deserve all you get. We get disturbed because we have not been considering Him. When one confers with Jesus Christ the perplexity goes, because He has no perplexity, and our only concern is to abide in Him. Lay it all out before Him and in the face of difficulty, bereavement and sorrow, hear Him say—“Let not your heart be troubled.”

Oswald Chambers - Don’t Calculate with To-Morrow in View
Take therefore no thought for the morrow. (Matthew 6:34)
When we take thought for the morrow, it becomes the dominating calculation of our life. Our Lord is not saying, “Take no anxious thought,” but, “Don’t make to-morrow the ruling factor in to-day’s work.” Most of us do. To-day is lived without the power God means us to have because taking thought for the morrow is the dominating calculation, not Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is not telling us to be careless, but to be carefully careless about everything saving one thing, seeking first the Kingdom† of God and His righteousness. Many of us have no time for God and His Kingdom, we are so busy seeking other things

Elisha Hoffman the writer of the hymn I MUST TELL JESUS tells the story that preceded his penning of the words…

There was a woman to whom God had permitted many visitations of sorrow and affliction. Coming to her home one day, I found her much discouraged. She unburdened her heart, concluding with the question, “Brother Hoffman, what shall I do?” I quoted from the word, then added, “You cannot do better than to take all of your sorrows to Jesus. You must tell Jesus.”

For a moment she seemed lost in meditation. Then her eyes lighted as she exclaimed, “Yes, I must tell Jesus.” As I left her home I had a vision of that joy-illuminated face…and I heard all along my pathway the echo, “I must tell Jesus. I must tell Jesus.”

I MUST TELL JESUS

I must tell Jesus all of my trials;
I cannot bear these burdens alone;
In my distress He kindly will help me;
He ever loves and cares for His own.

Refrain
I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!
I cannot bear my burdens alone;
I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!
Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.

I must tell Jesus all of my troubles;
He is a kind, compassionate friend;
If I but ask Him, He will deliver,
Make of my troubles quickly an end.
Refrain

Tempted and tried, I need a great Savior;
One Who can help my burdens to bear;
I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus;
He all my cares and sorrows will share.
Refrain

O how the world to evil allures me!
O how my heart is tempted to sin!
I must tell Jesus, and He will help me
Over the world the victory to win.
Refrain

Elisha's Hoffman's story and hymn beg the question…

Have you told Jesus?

Are you worried about your tendency to worry? Let me encourage you to turn your attention to God, especially to an unhurried devotional study of His character revealed in His names or more specifically in His attributes (See "The Attributes of God"). You will be amazed at how the Spirit will renew our mind when we shift our focus off of the perplexity of the problems and onto the perfection of the Problem Solver, and once again appreciate that He is everywhere, knows everything, is all powerful, and is able and willing to carry our burdens (Ps 55:22, Heb 2:18-note).

Warren Wiersbe - We have little control over the circumstances of life. We can't control the weather or the economy, and we can't control what other people say about or do to us. There is only one area where we have control--we can rule the kingdom inside. The heart of every problem is the problem in the heart. Once we get to that throne room inside us and let God take over, we don't have to worry about others. (Comments on Psalm 10:12) (Bolding added)

Robert Morgan - I’m happy to say that there is one passage in the Bible in which the Apostle Paul sounds like a modern-day lecturer leading a seminar entitled Five Ways To Overcome Worry and Anxiety in Your Life. This morning I’d like us to enroll in the Apostle’s seminar and discover these five ways of beating worry and anxiety, by reading Philippians 4:4-9. (Read the entire mind renewing message).

Below is a series by Pastor Morgan which deals with how to handle worry and anxiety:

Warren Wiersbe in "Prayer 101" - Someone has said that most people are being crucified between two thieves—the regrets of yesterday and the worries about tomorrow—so they're unable to enjoy the blessings of today. For His own children, the Lord forgives past sins, provides present needs (not greeds), and guides us in future decisions and circumstances. So, why worry (see Matt. 6:25-34)?

MIND GUARDING - Paul counsels us to take everything to God in prayer. "Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything!" (Php 4:6) is his admonition. We are prone to pray about the "big things" in life and forget to pray about the so-called "little things"—until they grow and become big things! Talking to God about everything that concerns us and Him is the first step toward victory over worry. The result is that the "peace of God" guards the heart and the mind. You will remember that Paul is chained to a Roman soldier, guarded day and night. In like manner, "the peace of God" stands guard over the two areas that create worry—the heart (wrong feeling) and the mind (wrong thinking). When we give our hearts to Christ in salvation, we experience "peace with God" (Ro 5:1-note); but the "peace of God" takes us a step further into His blessings. This does not mean the absence of trials on the outside, but it does mean a quiet confidence within, regardless of circumstances, people, or things.

Applying God's Truth: 1. What are some "little things" in your life that concern you, yet that you may feel are too insignificant to pray about? (Whatever you think of, commit it to prayer and trust God to deal with the little things as well as the big ones.) 2. We tend to think of peace as an inner emotion. How do you feel when you envision God's peace as something that can protect you from outside influences? 3. What requests do you need to present to God today? What reasons do you have to offer thanksgiving today? - Pause for Power - Warren Wiersbe

THE ANTIDOTE TO WORRY - If anybody had an excuse for worrying, it was the Apostle Paul. His beloved Christian friends at Philippi were disagreeing with one another, and he was not there to help them. We have no idea what Euodia and Syntyche were disputing about, but whatever it was, it was bringing division into the church. Along with the potential division at Philippi, Paul had to face division among the believers at Rome (Phil. 1:14-17). Added to these burdens was the possibility of his own death! Yes, Paul had a good excuse to worry— but he did not! Instead, he takes time to explain to us the secret of victory over worry. The Old English root from which we get our word "worry" means "to strangle." If you have ever really worried, you know how it does strangle a person! In fact, worry has definite physical consequences: headaches, neck pains, ulcers, even back pains. Worry affects our thinking, our digestion, and even our coordination. The antidote to worry is the secure mind: "The peace of God . . . will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7). When you have the secure mind, the peace of God guards you and the God of peace guides you! With that kind of protection—why worry?

Applying God's Truth: 1. What are three things you are worried about right now? If you begin to rejoice about other, more positive things, how do you think your worries would be affected? 2. Do you think it's really possible to rejoice always? Explain. 3. How might you reduce your amount of worrying in the future? - Pause for Power - Warren Wiersbe

Spurgeon offers this interesting perspective to those who are hesitant to cast their cares on Him writing that "There is nothing Christ dislikes more than for His people to make show of Him and not to use Him. He loves to be worked. He is a great laborer. He always was for His Father, and now He loves to be a great laborer for His brethren. The more burdens you put on His shoulders, the better He will love you. Cast your burden on Him." (Ps 55:22, 1 Peter 5:7)

Connie Mack Didn’t Worry
Connie Mack was one of the greatest managers in the history of baseball. One of the secrets of his success was that he knew how to lead and inspire men. He knew that people were individuals. Once, when his team had clinched the pennant well before the season ended, he gave his two best pitchers the last ten days off so that they could rest up for the World Series. One pitcher spent his ten days off at the ball park; the other went fishing. Both performed brilliantly in the World Series. Mack never criticized a player in front of anyone else. He learned to wait 24 hours before discussing mistakes with players. Otherwise, he said, he dealt with goofs too emotionally.
In the first three years as a major league baseball manager, Connie Mack’s teams finished sixth, seventh, and eighth. He took the blame and demoted himself to the minor leagues to give himself time to learn how to handle men. When he came back to the major leagues again, he handled his players so successfully that he developed the best teams the world had ever known up to that time.
Mack had another secret of good management: he didn’t worry. “I discovered,” he explained, “that worry was threatening to wreck my career as a baseball manager. I saw how foolish it was and I forced myself to get so busy preparing to win games that I had no time left to worry over the ones that were already lost. You can’t grind grain with water that has already gone down the creek.” Bits and Pieces

Our Daily Bread has the following devotional on "worry"…

Worry is merely unbelief parading in disguise! The Scriptures repeatedly warn us against this grievous sin. Ian Maclaren ex-claims, "What does your anxiety do? It does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but it does empty today of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it when it comes. God gives us the power to bear all the sorrow of His making, but He does not guarantee to give us strength to bear the burdens of our own making such as worry induces."

An experienced physician decided to analyze the "worriers" who were his patients. He found that 40 percent of them were apprehensive over things that never happened. About 30 per-cent concerned themselves with past matters now beyond their control. Another 12 percent anxiously feared the loss of their health, although their only illness was in their imagination. And the rest worried about their families, friends, and neighbors, but in most cases he discovered no basis for their fears.

A bassoon player once came to the great conductor Toscanini with furrowed brow and complained that his instrument would not sound the high E flat. Toscanini smiled and replied, "Don't worry. There is no E flat in your music tonight." The musician had been needlessly apprehensive. Many of our worries are like that — unfounded and unnecessary.

Worry is both unprofitable and ungodly. God's grace will be sufficient for each day's need. Take comfort in this thought, and tread the pathway of life with faith, not fear! (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

I walked life's path with "Worry,"
Disturbed and quite unblessed,
Until I trusted Jesus;
Now "Faith" has given rest.
— G.W.

Satan seeks to crush our spirit by getting us to bear tomorrow's burdens with only today's grace!

Worry Is Faith in the Negative
Worry is faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster and belief in defeat...worry is wasting today’s time to clutter up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s troubles. A dense fog that covers a seven-city-block area one hundred feet deep is composed of less than one glass of water divided into sixty thousand million drops. Not much is there but it can cripple an entire city. Source unknown

Spurgeon - Ps 55:22 - I heard of a man who was walking along the high road with a pack on his back. He was growing weary and was therefore glad when a gentleman came along in a carriage and asked him to take a seat with him. The gentleman noticed that he kept his pack strapped to his shoulders, and so he said, “Why do you not put your pack down?” “Why, sir,” said the traveler, “I did not venture to impose. It was very kind of you to take me up, and I could not expect you to carry my pack as well.” “Why,” said his friend, “do you not see that whether your pack is on your back or off your back, I have to carry it?” My hearer, it is so with your trouble. Whether you worry or do not worry, it is the Lord who must care for you.

C H Spurgeon - DO NOT BE TROUBLED. John 14:1

All too often, we believers watch the gathering clouds and forecast storms and anticipate troubles. Some of us confess that times of depression are coming. We see our business slipping away, and we worry about the future. We worry about our children, for we see the various tendencies in young people, and we worry about the way they will go. Our health declines, and we wonder what to do when the disease gets worse. Yet our Lord Jesus Christ counsels us, “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1). Do not fear! Has not God helped you in every plight already? When we cast our cares on the Lord, to do as He wills, at no time will He be unkind. He will never put us in the furnace unless He intends to purge our dross, and the furnace will not be one degree warmer than is absolutely necessary. Mercy will always balance misery; strength will always support burden. The Lord is our friend; He will never be our foe. Cheer up! “Do not fear little flock,” shake off your fears and rejoice, “for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). The road may be rough, but the end is sure. We are going to the kingdom, to a land where all the believers will be princes and kings. Take heart. What difference does it make if our accommodations are sparse, if the passage is rough, if the winds boisterous? There is a kingdom ahead! Make the best of this voyage. Do not be fainthearted, but sing:

With a bag on my back and a staff in my hand,
I march on in haste through an enemy’s land;
The way may be rough, but it cannot be long,
So I’ll smooth it with hope, and I’ll cheer it with song.

Anxiety - Arthur Pink, 1935
"In nothing be anxious" (Phil. 4:6) Worrying is as definitely forbidden as theft. This needs to be carefully pondered and definitely realized by us, so that we do not excuse it as an innocent infirmity. The more we are convicted of the sinfulness of anxiety, the sooner are we likely to perceive that it is most dishonoring to God, and "strive against" (Heb. 12:4) it. But how are we to "strive against" it?

First, by begging the Holy Spirit to grant us a deeper conviction of its enormity.

Second, by making it a subject of special earnest prayer, that we may be delivered from this evil.

Third, by watching its beginnings, and as soon as we are conscious of harassment of mind, as soon as we detect the unbelieving thought, lift up our heart to God and ask Him for deliverance from it.

The best antidote for anxiety is frequent meditation upon God's goodness, power and sufficiency. When the saint can confidently realize "The Lord is my Shepherd," he must draw the conclusion, "I shall not want!" Immediately following our exhortation is, "but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Nothing is too big and nothing is too little—to spread before and cast upon the Lord. The "with thanksgiving" is most important, yet it is the point at which we most fail. It means that before we receive God's answer, we thank Him for the same—it is the confidence of the child expecting his Father to be gracious.

He Chose Wednesday’s to Worry
J. Arthur Rank, an English executive, decided to do all his worrying on one day each week. He chose Wednesdays. When anything happened that gave him anxiety and annoyed his ulcer, he would write it down and put it in his worry box and forget about it until next Wednesday. The interesting thing was that on the following Wednesday when he opened his worry box, he found that most of the things that had disturbed him the past six days were already settled. It would have been useless to have worried about them. Source unknown

Take Your Troubles One By One
In 480 B.C. the outmanned army of Sparta’s King Leonidas held off the Persian troops of Xerxes by fighting them one at a time as they came through a narrow mountain pass. Commenting on this strategy, C. H. Spurgeon said, “Suppose Leonidas and his handful of men had gone out into the wide-open plain and attacked the Persians—why, they would have died at once, even though they might have fought like lions.” Spurgeon continued by saying that Christians stand in the narrow pass of today. If they choose to battle every difficulty at once, they’re sure to suffer defeat. But if they trust God and take their troubles one by one, they will find that their strength is sufficient. Source unknown

"When waves of trouble round me swell,
My soul, be not dismayed;
But hear a Voice you know full well–
'Tis I, be not afraid.'

"When black the threatening clouds appear,
And storms my path invade,
That Voice shall tranquillize each fear–
'Tis I, be not afraid.'

"There is a gulf that must be crossed,
Saviour! be near to aid;
hisper, when my frail bark is tossed–
"Tis I, be not afraid.'

"There is a dark and fearful vale,
Death hides within its shade;
Oh! say, when flesh and heart shall fail–
"Tis I, be not afraid.'"

Vance Havner - Faith and Care (Anxiety/Worry) Matthew 6:30

FOUR times in Matthew our Lord uses the expression "O ye of little faith," and each time the application is to a different problem. The first occurrence of the phrase is in Matthew 6:30: "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"
This is part of the well-known passage from the Sermon on the Mount dealing with our daily anxieties. Nowhere is faith more needed nowadays. Many Christians seem to think of worry as a "white sin," as though God had made an exception in that case and we were allowed to fret and grieve, with no provision being made for our relief. People think they simply must worry, but God's Word is explicit that we are to be anxious about nothing (Phil. 4:6), casting all our care upon God (1 Pet. 5:7)—letting not our hearts be troubled (John 14:1). Why did Jesus say "Let not your heart be troubled" if we cannot help it?
So our Lord tells us: "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink" (v. 25). Of course, we know that "thought" here means anxious thought and not the forethought and planning that are necessary for any business. It is not work, but worry, that kills—the feverish tension and uneasiness that soon wear down mind and body. The man who lives in the will of God need never worry about food, clothes, and the vexations of daily experience. It does no good, it is positively forbidden in the Word, and God has promised to supply all the believer's needs (Phil. 4:19).
The Lord Jesus speaks in this passage of the birds and the lilies as illustrations of God's care. Here cynics have objected that the sparrow falls just the same. But the idea is that no matter what happens, we are in God's care. The mistake is in limiting His care to temporal welfare—but God does not guarantee to save us from trouble and danger. His care goes beyond that: come what will, our lives are hid with Christ, and no matter what happens to our health or our money, we ourselves—our spirits—are safe in Him.
The heart of the whole matter is found in verse 33: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." We make "all these things" our chief concern but Christ makes them merely incidental. These things should be marginal and God central in our lives, but we put them on the main track and God is switched to the sidetrack, to be called upon only in trouble.
"Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Each day has enough troubles of its own. But we insist upon borrowing from tomorrow and crossing the bridge before we reach it. No Christian should worry. His sole business is to know the will of God and do it. Whatever his occupation may be, it is only to pay expenses while he is about his real business. But we reverse the whole matter and make our trade the main business with God's will an outside affair that is considered now and then, if at all. Consequently, when trouble and vexation come we fret and worry.
Our "little faith" shows up daily in this matter of care. The believer who has gained through faith the conquest of care has found life here, even in this troublesome world, a blessed experience. Truly, the peace of God will garrison the hearts and minds of those who are careful for nothing but thankful for everything.

Simply trusting every day,
Trusting through a stormy way;
Even when my faith is small,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.
E. Page

Tepee vs. Wigwam
A man went to his psychiatrist and he said, “Sometimes I think I’m a tepee and sometimes I think I’m a wigwam.” The psychiatrist said, “Your problem is you’re too tents.” The Bell, the Clapper, and the Cord: Wit and Witticism

Nervous Wreck
Q. What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches?
A. A nervous wreck.

How to Conquer Worry
• Get plenty of rest; troubles often look smaller as you get
• closer; distinguish between those parts of life you can
• control and those you can’t; check your goals—are you
• worrying about unrealistic ambitions? Depend on God.
• cf. Happiness is a Choice, p. 171
Source unknown

An Average Person’s Anxiety Is Focused On…
• 40%—things that will never happen
• 30%—things about the past that can’t be changed
• 12%—things about criticism by others, mostly untrue
• 10%—about health, which gets worse with stress
• 8%—about real problems that will be faced
Source unknown

Worry Is Fear’s Extravagance
Worry is fear’s extravagance. It extracts interest on trouble before it comes due. It constantly drains the energy God gives us to face daily problems and to fulfill our many responsibilities. It is therefore a sinful waste. A woman who had lived long enough to have learned some important truths about life remarked, “I’ve had a lot of trouble—most of which never happened!” She had worried about many things that had never occurred, and had come to see the total futility of her anxieties.
An unknown poet has written: “I heard a voice at evening softly say,
• Bear not your yesterdays into tomorrow,
• Nor load this week with last week’s load of sorrow.
• Lift all your burdens as they come, nor try
• To weigh the present with the by-and-by.
• One step and then another, take your way;/ Live day by day!”
Our Daily Bread

How You Can Tell When It’s Going to Be a Rotten Day
• You wake up face down on the pavement.
• You call Suicide Prevention and they put you on hold.
• You see a “60 Minutes” news team waiting in your office.
• Your birthday cake collapses from the weight of the candles.
• You turn on the news and they’re showing emergency routes out of the city.
• Your twin sister forgot your birthday.
• Your car horn goes off accidentally and remains stuck as you follow a group of Hell’s Angels on the freeway.
• Your boss tells you not to bother to take off your coat.
• The bird singing outside your window is a buzzard.
• You wake up and your braces are locked together.
• You call your answering service and they tell you it’s none of your business.
• Your income tax check bounces.
• You put both contact lenses in the same eye.
• Your wife says, “Good morning, Bill,” and your name is George.
Source unknown

Turning Prayers Over to God
To act out the principle of turning prayers over to God, we took a paper bag, wrote “God” on it, and taped it up high on the back of our kitchen door. As I prayed about matters such as my career, my role as a father, my abilities to be a good husband, I would write down each concern on a piece of paper. Then those pieces of paper would go in the bag. The rule was that if you start worrying about a matter of prayer that you’ve turned over to God, you have to climb up on a chair and fish it out of the bag. I don’t want to admit how much time I spent sifting through those scraps of paper. David Mackenzie

A W Tozer - Worry
He says, “I will do it for you. Why do you worry? I will do it for you. I am God. I am Jehovah. I am your righteousness. I am your provider. I am your healer. I am your banner of victory. I am your shepherd. I am your peace. I am your everything.” If God is all this to us, then there is no reason why anybody should be downhearted in this hour. If God could make a world out of nothing, why can’t He make anything He wants now for His people? God invites us to see Him work. Psalm 23:1; Isaiah 43:1–3; Matthew 6:25–34; Philippians 4:6–7 Rut, Rot or Revival: The Condition of the Church

Ecclesiastes 5:12 - "The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much. But the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep." The late Joe Louis, world heavyweight boxing champion, used to say, "I don't like money, actually, but it quiets my nerves." But Solomon said that possessing wealth is no guarantee that your nerves will be calm and your sleep sound. According to him, the common laborer sleeps better than the rich man. The Living Bible expresses verse 12 perfectly: "The man who works hard sleeps well whether he eats little or much, but the rich must worry and suffer insomnia." More than one preacher has mentioned John D. Rockefeller in his sermons as an example of a man whose life was almost ruined by wealth. At the age of fifty-three, Rockefeller was the world's only billionaire, earning about a million dollars a week. But he was a sick man who lived on crackers and milk and could not sleep because of worry. When he started giving his money away, his health changed radically, and he lived to celebrate his ninety-eighth birthday! Yes, it's good to have the things that money can buy, provided you don't lose the things money can't buy.

"Though some good things of lower worth
My heart is called on to resign,
Of all the gifts in heaven and earth,
The best, the very best is mine:
The love of God in Christ made known,
The love that is enough alone,
My Father's love is all my own.

"My soul's Restorer, let me learn
In that deep love to live and rest–
Let me the precious thing discern
Of which I am indeed possessed–
My treasure let me feel and see,
And let my moments as they flee,
Unfold my endless life in Thee.

"Let me not dwell so much within
My wounded heart with anxious heed,
Where all my searches meet with sin,
And nothing satisfies my need–
It shuts me out from sound and sight
Of that pure world of life and light
Which has nor breadth, nor length, nor height.

"Let me Your power, Your beauty see,
So shall my vain aspiring cease,
And my free heart shall follow Thee
Through paths of everlasting peace–
My strength Your gift, my life Your care,
I shall forget to seek elsewhere
The joy to which my soul is heir.

"I was not called to walk alone,
To clothe myself with love and light;
And for Your glory, not my own,
My soul is precious in Your sight–
My evil heart can never be
A home, a heritage for me;
But You can make it fit for Thee."
–A. L. Waring

Fret Not, Faint Not, Fear Not
• Fret not—He loves you (John 13:1)
• Faint not—He holds you (Psalm 139:10)
• Fear not—He keeps you (Psalm 121:5)
Source unknown

They Heard the Bells
Massena, one of Napoleon’s generals, suddenly appeared with 18,000 soldiers before an Austrian town which had no means of defending itself. The town council met, certain that capitulation was the only answer. The old dean of the church reminded the council that it was Easter, and begged them to hold services as usual and to leave the trouble in God’s hands. They followed his advice. The dean went to the church and rang the bells to announce the service. The French soldiers heard the church bells ring and concluded that the Austrian army had come to rescue the town. They broke camp, and before the bells had ceased ringing, vanished. Source unknown

If He Did His Best It Would Be Finished
While touring Italy, a man visited a cathedral that had been completed on the outside only. Once inside, the traveler found an artist kneeling before an enormous wall upon which he had just begun to create a mosaic. On some tables nearby were thousands of pieces of colored ceramic. Curious, the visitor asked the artist how he would ever finish such a large project. The artist answered that he knew how much he could accomplish in one day. Each morning, he marked off an area to be completed that day and didn’t worry about what remained outside that space. That was the best he could do; and if he faithfully did his best, one day the mosaic would be finished. Today in the Word,

Men Chewed Through the Rope
A fishing boat sank in rough, cold waters off Vancouver Island, leaving two men in a life raft tied to the sinking boat by a nylon rope. Neither had a knife to cut the rope, and had the ship sunk, it would have pulled the boat and the men down with it. For an hour, the two men alternated chewing the rope, Minutes before the ship sank, the men finally chewed through the rope and survived. The State Journal-Register of Springfield, Ill, quoted in Parade

Robert Morgan - John 14:3
If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. —John 14:3
When we were first married, my wife and I had a visit from a salesman who, wanting to sell us waterless cookware, offered to cook our supper one night. He pulled a pot from his suitcase, put in some carrots, and poured in a little water.
“I thought you said it was waterless,” I said.
He replied: “It is. You use less water. It isn’t water-free; it is water-less. Instead of boiling your vegetables in a quart of water and washing away the vitamins, you use just a few spoonfuls of water.”
I wish I could say Christians can live a worry-free life; but by all means we must at least live a worry-less life. It’s true that the Bible tells us not to worry or to let our hearts be troubled, but the fact that we’re told not to worry implies the existence of worry in the life of the Christian.
Certainly in the upper room the disciples had reason to worry. But in John 14:1-6, Jesus warned them not to remain in a worried state of mind. He was telling us all: Don’t succumb to a troubled heart. Don’t give in to panic. Don’t cave in to anxious care. We aren’t to let our hearts remain in a state of agitation, panic, terror, or of being upset.
I may not be able to avoid being frightened on occasion. I may be unable to avoid flashes of panic or aches of anxiety. Perhaps I can’t totally escape the temptation to worry. But I can avoid remaining in such a state or abiding in such a condition. In fact, it’s my obligation as a Christian to fight off the sin of anxiety just as I would resist the sin of drunkenness, profanity, lust, or idolatry.
This passage is incredibly helpful in fighting the sin of worry (which is unbelief), and it also helps us in times of grief. I often use it at funerals, using this simple outline:
• The peace Jesus provides (John 14:1)
• The place Jesus prepares (John 14:2-4)
• The path Jesus prescribes (John 14:6)
Verse 3 is at the center of this text; and in memorizing it, notice how every phrase emphasizes a different aspect of our Lord’s promised return. He is going away for the express purpose of preparing a place for us; He will return, and where He is, we will always be.

Dr E Stanley Jones wrote

I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath—these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely—these are my native air. A John Hopkins University doctor says, “We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non-worriers, but that is a fact.” But I, who am simple of mind, think I know; We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality.

Day by Day
(Play hymn)
Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find, to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He Whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best—
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Vance Havner - I am to be careful for nothing, not anxious about anything. There is a difference between being careless and being without care. The Philippians were credited in this same chapter with having cared for Paul. There is a Christian care but it is not the worrying kind. Anxious, fretful, feverish concern is a sin. Then I am in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to let my requests be made known unto God. While I ask Him for more I am to thank Him for what I already have. He is not a Heavenly Santa Claus, He is my Father and I am not a pauper but a prince, not a slave but a son. I'm not a beggar waiting for a handout at the kitchen door, I'm a child of the King, in the Father's house, with a robe on my body, a ring on my finger, shoes on my feet, my feet under the table, eating the fatted calf!

Corrie Ten Boom sage had several wise thoughts regarding anxiety and worry...

Look around and be distressed.
Look inside and be depressed.
Look at Jesus and be at rest.

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God

Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is to small to be made into a burden

WHAT IS WORRY?

Worry...

...gives a small thing a big shadow
...is the interest we pay on tomorrow's troubles.
...over tomorrow pulls shadows over today's sunshine.
...is like a rocking chair; it will give you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere.
...is an indication that we think God cannot look after us. (O. Chambers)
...is putting question marks where God has put periods. (J R Rice)
...is the interest we pay on tomorrow’s troubles. (E S Jones)
...is an intrusion into God's providence. (J Haggai)
...is a guest admitted which quickly turns to be master.
... never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its strength (A J Cronin)
...is practical atheism and an affront to God (R. H. Mounce)

Søren Kierkegaard (bio) put worry and anxiety in an poignant perspective writing that...

No Grand Inquisitor has in readiness such terrible tortures as anxiety

Ray Pritchard writes that

Worry is excessive concern over the affairs of life. The key obviously is the word "excessive." Worry happens when you are so concerned about the problems of life that you can think of nothing else. It is an all-consuming feeling of uncertainty and fear. And it is a sin. Worry is a sin for two reasons: First, because it displaces God in your life. When you commit the sin of worry, you are living as though God did not exist. And you are living as though you alone can solve your problems. Second, because it distracts you from the things that really matter in life. As long as you are worrying, you can't do anything else. You are strangled by worry.

But how can we tell when the legitimate concerns of life have become sinful worries? Here are three practical guidelines. You are probably well into worry...

1. When the thing you are concerned about is the first thing you think about in the morning and the last thing you think about at night.

2. When you find yourself thinking about it during every spare moment.

3. When you find yourself bringing it up in every conversation you have.

Seen in that light, most of us worry a lot more than we would like to admit! (Matthew 6:25-34 Three Things Not To Worry About ) (Bolding added)

Illustration of how worry affects one's sleep...

Today if you visit Thomas Carlyle’s famous home in London, they will show you an almost soundproof chamber that Carlyle had built so the noise of the street could be shut out and he could work in silence. One of his neighbors, however, kept a rooster that several times in the night and in the early morning gave way to vigorous self-expression. When Carlyle protested to the owner of the rooster, the man pointed out to him that the rooster crowed only three times in the night, and that after all could not be such a terrible annoyance. “But,” Carlyle said to him, “if you only knew what I suffer waiting for that rooster to crow!” (Clarence Macartney, Macartney’s Illustrations Nashville: Abingdon, 1945)

Worry and anxiety is the plague of our modern age as observed by Time magazine (in 1961) which said...

Not merely the black statistics of murder, suicide, alcoholism, and divorce betray anxiety … but almost any innocent everyday act: the limp or overhearty handshake, the second pack of cigarettes or the third martini, the forgotten appointment, the stammer in mid-sentence, the wasted hour before the TV set, the spanked child, the new car unpaid for. (Time Magazine, March 31, 1961)

Think about it - Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is to small to be made into a burden.

A Strategy For Winning Over Worry =
(1) Identify specific worries.
(2) Work to change what you can.
(3) Leave what you can't change with God.

When we put our cares in God's hands, He puts His peace in our hearts. (ODB)

A W Tozer - Worry; Faith: confidence in God

How are we going to escape fear, when there are legitimate dangers that lie all around us?
Well, here’s what the man of God says: “Don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Someone is looking after us. The Bible says “He careth for you.” Jesus, our Lord, says: “Your Father knows what you have need of before you ask Him.” And Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled.” And in all your afflictions, He was afflicted, it says.
The Bible pictures God as a very careful, tender-hearted Father, busying Himself about the troubles of His people. He looks after them, goes ahead of them, cares for them, and guides them all the way through.
There you see the problem of worry and anxiety is solved by the assurance that while there are things about which to be concerned, why should you worry, when Somebody is taking care of you!

Isaiah 63:9–10; Matthew 6:8; John 14:1; Philippians 4:6–7; 1 Peter 5:7 The Tozer Pulpit, Volume 1, Book 1, 130, 131.

A W Tozer - Worry; Peace: inner - Now, the grace of God in the human heart works to calm the agitation that normally accompanies life in such a world as ours. The Holy Spirit acts as a lubricant to reduce the friction to a minimum and to stop the fretting and chafing in their grosser phases.…It was not to the unregenerate that the words, “Fret not” were spoken, but to God-fearing persons capable of understanding spiritual things. We Christians need to watch and pray lest we fall into this temptation and spoil our Christian testimony by an irritable spirit under the stress and strain of life. Psalm 37:1, 7–11; Matthew 6:25–34; Philippians 4:6–7 Man: The Dwelling Place of God, 70, 71.

Faith and Care Matthew 6:30

June Hunt has an excellent summary of the worthlessness of worry based on the parallel passage in Luke 12:22-34...

Worry Is Worthless! If you worry...

Remember, life is more than food and clothes (Luke 12:22)
You'll miss the meaning of life (Luke 12:23)
Remember, God feeds the birds and will be sure to feed you (Luke 12:24)
You can't extend the length of your life (Luke 12:25)
It is an exercise in futility (Luke 12:26)
You waste your time and energy (Luke 12:27)
You exhibit a lack of faith (Luke 12:28)
You set your heart on tangibles instead of trust (Luke 12:29)
You are like unbelievers, refusing faith in God (Luke 12:30)
You are not making God's kingdom your priority (Luke 12:31)
You are forgetting what the Father has already given you (Luke 12:32)
You are thinking more of yourself than of others (Luke 12:33)
You are treasuring the temporal over the eternal (Luke 12:34)

From a work I would highly recommend because it tends to stay close to Scriptural wisdom with a minimum of secular wisdom (June Hunt's collection of 100 Biblical Counseling Keys)

Author A. B. Simpson told about an old farmer who plowed around a large rock in his field year after year. He had broken one cultivator and two plowshares by hitting it. Each time he saw that obstacle, he grumbled about how much trouble the rock had caused.

One day he decided to dig it up and be done with it. Putting a large crowbar under one side, he found to his surprise that the rock was less than a foot thick. Soon he had pried it out of the ground and was carting it away in his wagon. He smiled to think how that "big" old rock had caused him so much needless frustration.

Not every trouble can be removed as easily as that stone. But prayer is an effective way to handle difficulties of all sizes. Using the leverage of prayer with our problems can keep us from becoming victims of worry. —D. J. De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

FERVENT PRAYER
DISPELS ANXIOUS CARE.

How Will My Worry Look? - Hans Christian Andersen, author of such well-known fairy tales as "The Emperor's New Clothes," had a phobia of being buried alive. As a result, he always carried a note in his pocket telling anyone who might find him unconscious not to assume he was dead. He often left another note on his bedside table stating, "I only seem dead." Such was his anxiety until he finally succumbed to cancer in 1875.

We may think such a fear is strange, but do we have fears that will someday look just as irrational? Is it possible that the day will come when we look back and marvel at our own anxieties? Will we one day wonder at that foolish person who chose to worry rather than to pray? Will time eventually cast us as a pitiful person who was plagued by fear because we did not face life with the resources lavished on us by the Almighty Lord of the universe?

Worrying doesn't change anything. But trusting the Lord changes everything about the way we view life.

Forgive us, Lord, for our inclination to worry. Help us to see how foolish it is for us to worry about what You have promised to provide. Don't let us bury ourselves alive with fears. — Mart De Haan

A Strategy For Winning Over Worry
Identify specific worries.
Work to change what you can.
Leave what you can't change with God.

TOO WET OR TOO DRY: While waiting for a tire to be repaired, I began talking with a man who farmed nearby. "Sure need rain," he said. "Don't know what we're gonna do if it doesn't rain."

"A lot different from last year," I said.

"A year ago it was so wet I couldn't get in the field," the man replied. Then he paused and said, "You know, I've been farming around here for 41 years and its always the same—either too wet or too dry. I don't know why I bother to talk about it in the first place!"

We laughed together and I went on my way, pondering what he had said and its relation to all the things I was worried about that day For every essential element in our lives today, God would be pleased to have us trade worry for trust and say, "Thank You, kind heavenly Father. You already know what I need. So I'll trust You to take care of me." —D. C. McCasland (Ibid)

The way to be anxious about nothing is to be prayerful about everything.

When I was a little boy," wrote H. P. Barker, "I used to help my mother store away apples. Putting my arms around ever so many, I tried to carry them all at once. I managed for a step or two, but then out fell one, and then another, and two or three more, till the apples were rolling all over the floor. Mother laughed. Putting my tiny hands around one apple, she then suggested that I take that one and then carry the others in the same way"

Mr. Barker made the following application: "Don't try to put your arms around a year or even a week. Rather say, `Here is another day begun. Lord, help me to live it for You. Give me just now the help and strength that I need.

What good advice! How foolish it is to borrow trouble from tomorrow! We can trust God to meet our needs every day. So let's take just one "apple" at a time. —R. W. De Haan (Ibid)

Worry is carrying a burden God never intended us to bear.

AWAKE ALL NIGHT!: A was story is told of a man who raised chickens. Among them was a rooster whose occasional crowing greatly annoyed a neighbor. Early one morning the disgruntled neighbor called the farmer and complained, "That miserable bird of yours keeps me up all night!"

"I don't understand," came the reply "He hardly ever crows; but if he does, it's never more than two or three times."

That isn't my problem," retorted the neighbor. "It's not how often he crows that irritates me! What keeps me awake is not knowing when he might crow!"

Many of us are like that man. We worry about the difficulties and distressing circumstances that could arise tomorrow. Rather than living a day at a time and rejoicing in the Lord's sufficiency for the present, we become anxious by borrowing trouble from the future. Friend, stop foolishly "waiting for the rooster"! —R. W De Haan (Ibid)

Worrying is paying interest on troubles that may never come due!

Worry is wrong and is in essence sin. Worry is unnecessary (cp "the birds"). Worry is useless (it cannot add an hour to your life or an inch to your height). Worry is blind (to the lessons taught by God's providential care of the birds and flowers). Worry is at its very core being, a failure to trust God.

When worry is present, trust cannot crowd its way in. (Billy Graham)
Only one type of worry is correct: to worry because you worry too much. (Jewish Proverb)
Worms eat you when you’re dead; worries eat you when you’re alive. (Jewish Proverb)
Happy is the man who is too busy to worry by day, and too sleepy to worry at night.
To carry care to bed is to sleep with a pack on your back. (T C Halliburton)
Don’t tell me that worry doesn’t do any good. I know better. The things I worry about don’t happen. (Anon)
Worry is a species of myopia—nearsightedness. (E. Stanley Jones)
If we bring into one day’s thoughts the evil of many, certain and uncertain, what will be and what will never be, our load will be as intolerable as it is unreasonable. (Jeremy Taylor)
So shaken as we are, so wan with care. (William Shakespeare)
Worry is a small trickle of fear that meanders through the mind until it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.
Winston Churchill said: Worry is an emotional spasm which occurs when the mind catches hold of something and will not let it go.>
A church sign said: Worry is the darkroom where negatives are developed.
George Washington reportedly said: Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.
Worry is today’s mice nibbling on tomorrow’s cheese.
Worry is a complete cycle of inefficient thought revolving around a pivot of fear.
The American physician, Charles Mayo, called worry the disease of doubt. He said it affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, the whole nervous system. I have never known a man who died from overwork, but many who have died from doubt.
But the great Christian leader, George Müller, knew the antidote: Many times when I could have gone insane from worry, I was at peace because my soul believed the truth of God’s promises.

Michael Green records the following story from the life of the fourteenth-century German Johann Tauler, which aptly demonstrates something of the attitude Jesus is calling His disciples to maintain...

One day Tauler met a beggar. ‘God give you a good day, my friend,’ he said.

The beggar answered, ‘I thank God I never had a bad one.’

Then Tauler said, ‘God give you a happy life, my friend.’

‘I thank God’, said the beggar, ‘that I am never unhappy.’

In amazement Tauler asked, ‘What do you mean?’

‘Well,’ said the beggar, ‘when it is fine I thank God. When it rains I thank God. When I have plenty I thank God. When I am hungry I thank God. And, since God’s will is my will, and whatever pleases him pleases me, why should I say I am unhappy when I am not?’

Tauler looked at the man in astonishment. ‘Who are you?’ he asked.

‘I am a king,’ said the beggar.

‘Where, then, is your kingdom?’ asked Tauler.

The beggar replied quietly, ‘In my heart.’ (Ed: Case closed on the need to worry!)

E. E. Wordsworth wrote that...

There is a little motto that hangs on the wall in my home that again and again has rebuked me: "Why worry when you can pray?" We have often been reminded of the words of the Psalmist, "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity" (Ps. 37:1 - see Spurgeon's note). Mr. Wesley used to say that he would just as soon swear as to worry. Worrying is evidence of a serious lack of trust in God and His unfailing promises. Worry saddens, blights, destroys, kills. It depletes one's energies, devitalizes the physical man, and enervates the whole spiritual nature. It greatly reduces the spiritual stature and impoverishes the whole spirit.

DO YOU WORRY LIKE "CLOCKWORK"?: Did you hear about the clock that had a nervous breakdown? At first everything was fine—it was keeping good time and operating in excellent fashion. But then it started to think about how many ticks would go through its mechanism before it died of old age. Two ticks a second would add up to 120 ticks a minute, 7,200 per hour, 172,800 per day, 1,209,600 per week, and 62,899,200 ticks for the year. Troubled by these staggering statistics, the poor clock collapsed from nervous exhaustion. The owner took it to a clock doctor who probed until he learned what was worrying the timepiece. "I have to tick so much," said the clock. "But just a minute," replied the doctor, "how many ticks do you have to produce at a time?" "Oh, I operate one tick at a time," responded the clock.

A fanciful story? Yes, but many of us think that way We borrow trouble from tomorrow rather than trusting God for each day. Faith in the ability of our Heavenly Father to supply every need and meet every emergency will enable us to live triumphantly (Ed: Paul learned this secret Phil 4:11, 12-note, Phil 4:13-note) We can confidently place tomorrow in His hands. —Paul R. Van Gorder (Ibid)

Put your cares in God's hands. He'll put His peace in your heart! (cp Ps 55:22-note)

Unopened Tomorrows - (Read - Matthew 6:25-34) We often wish we could see what lies around the corner in life. Then we could prepare for it, control it, or avoid it.

A wise person has said, "Though we can't see around corners, God can!" How much better and more reassuring that is!

Recently my 10-year-old granddaughter Emily and I were boiling eggs for breakfast. As we stared into the boiling water and wondered how long it would take to get the eggs just right, Emily said, "Pity we can't open them up to see how they're doing." I agreed! But that would have spoiled them, so we had to rely on guesswork, with no guarantee of results.

We began talking about other things we would like to see but can't--like tomorrow. Too bad we can't crack tomorrow open, we said, to see if it's the way we would like it. But meddling with tomorrow before its time, like opening a partly cooked egg, would spoil both today and tomorrow.

Because Jesus has promised to care for us every day--and that includes tomorrow--we can live by faith one day at a time (Mt. 6:33, 34).

Emily and I decided to leave tomorrow safely in God's hands. Have you? — Joanie Yoder

Though I know not what awaits me,
What the future has in store,
Yet I know the Lord is faithful,
For I've proved Him oft before. --Anon.

You're only cooking up trouble when you stew about tomorrow.

THE SIN OF ANXIETY: Matthew 6:25, 32 Phil 4:6 Of all God's creatures, only people are full of worry concerning the future. Animals show no indication of this inner tension. A few years ago in one of its bulletins, the United States Public Health Service declared:

"No fox ever fretted because he had only one hole in which to hide. No squirrel ever died of anxiety over the possibility that he should have laid up more food for winter. And no dog ever lost any sleep over the fact that he had not enough bones laid aside for his declining years."

In a way it isn't fair to use this argument to praise animal behavior, because such creatures do not have the intelligence it takes to be a worrier. However, the fact remains that to engage our more fertile brains with such anxious care is both foolish and sinful. It is foolish for the Christian because it doesn't help the situation, and it is sinful because all anxiety is practical atheism, a lack of genuine trust in God. Jesus pointed out that we have a Heavenly Father who provides for birds and lilies, and that He places a far greater value upon us than upon them. Therefore, the antidote to anxiety is a childlike trust in God which enables us to live one day at a time. We are not to be heedless about tomorrow, but we are to be free from undue concern over it (Mt 6:34-note)

Unfortunately, the more a person possesses of material blessings, the more prone he is to worry. I have seen emaciated Haitian Christians smile with genuine gratitude when given only a small portion of grain. Even when supplies are meager, they do not faithlessly worry about tomorrow's food. However, their American brothers and sisters in Christ are frequently overanxious and concerned about whether they will be able to live on a pension they expect to receive forty years hence!

Are you a "worrier"? Confess it as sin — as unbelief — and start trusting. Remember, "your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things." (Mt 6:32-note)--H G Bosch (Ibid)

For all His children, God desires
A life of trust, not flurry!
His will for them each day is this:
That they should trust, not worry!
—Anon.

Have you ever noticed that "I" is always found in the center of anx-I-ety?

THE WORRY BOX: I heard about a woman who kept a box in her kitchen that she called her "Worry Box." Every time something arose that troubled her, she would write it down on a piece of paper and place it in that box. She resolved that she would give these problems no thought as long as they were in the box. Every so often she would open it, take out the slips of paper, and review the concerns written on them. Following this procedure enabled the woman to put troubles out of her mind completely. She knew that they could be dealt with later. Then, because she had not been drained by anxiety over her difficulties she was in a relaxed frame of mind and better able to find solutions to her problems. Many times, however, she discovered to her delight that most of the troubles she had been worried about no longer existed.

Writing your worries on paper and putting them in a box may be helpful, but how much better to place them in the hands of God and forget about them! Worry robs us of joy, drains us of our energy, stunts our spiritual growth, stifles our testimony, and worst of all, dishonors God. —R. W De Haan (Ibid)

A WORRY FILLED VACATION: When a couple left for vacation, their newly married son and daughter-in-law promised to watch the house, take in the mail, and keep the lawn mowed. The couple hadn't been gone very long before they began to worry. What if the young people were careless about locking the doors, and all their possessions were stolen? What if they didn't pick up the mail, and some checks were stolen? And what if the lawn weren't mowed? What would the neighbors think? The couple nearly ruined their vacation with worry, and they even cut it short a couple days. When they returned, however, they found the lawn mowed, the mail taken care of, and the house in perfect order. They realized how foolish they had been, because their children had kept their word.

So it is with God. He keeps His word. (Nu 23:19, Titus 1:2-note, He 6:18-note, Ps 89:35-note) This brings us great comfort and can free us from worry. Why? Because it means that every promise of God will be kept. (Josh 21:45, 23:14) Here are just a few...

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all (Ps. 34:19) .

No weapon formed against you shall prosper (Isa. 54:17).

I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you (Isa. 41:10).

No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly (Ps. 84:11).

Are you fretting or doubting unnecessarily? If so, it's time you laid hold of a promise and reminded yourself that God always keeps His word. (2Pe 1:4-note) Those who tend to fret or doubt unnecessarily, can lay hold of a promise and remind themselves that God always keeps His word. —D. C. Egner (Ibid)

Worry means we believe more in our PROBLEMS than in God's PROMISES!

Charles Spurgeon, "A Good Start!" - Are you not put to shame by every little bird that sits upon the bough and sings, though it has not two grains of barley in all the world? Matthew 6:25-32
Undue anxiety is very common among the unsaved — I suppose they cannot help it. Yet Christians must help it; for the Lord's precept is plain and binding: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus!" Philippians 4:6-7

Fretful anxiety is forbidden to the Christian!

It is needless. "Look at the birds of the air," said Christ: "they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" If you have a Father in Heaven to care for you — are you not put to shame by every little bird that sits upon the bough and sings, though it has not two grains of barley in all the world? God takes charge of the birds of the air, and thus they live exempt from anxious care — why do not we?

Our Lord also taught that such anxiety is useless as well as needless; for, with all our care, we cannot add a single hour to our life!

Can we do anything else by fretful care? What if the farmerdeplores that there is no rain? Do his fears unstop the bottles of Heaven? Or if the merchant sighs because the wind detains his ship laden with goods — will his complainings turn the gale to another quarter?

We do not better ourselves a bit, by all our fretting and fuming. It would be infinitely wiser to do our best — and then cast our cares upon our God!

Prudence is wisdom — for it adapts means to ends.
But anxiety is folly — for it groans and worries, and accomplishes nothing!

Besides, according to our Savior, anxiety about worldly things isheathenish: "For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them!" They have no God and no providence — and therefore they try to be a providence to themselves. Let the heir of Heaven act a nobler part than the mere man of the world — who has his portion in this life, and lives without God and without hope.

Our distrust of our God is both childish and dishonoring. I was driven through the streets one day by a friend in a four-wheeled carriage, and he, being a good driver, must needs drive into narrow places, where it seemed to me that we would be crushed by the vans and omnibuses. I shrank back in my timidity, and expressed my unwise alarms so freely, that with a smile he laid the reins in my hand, and said, "If you cannot trust me — would you like to drive yourself?" From that ambition I was wholly free, and I assured him that he might drive as he liked, rather than make me the charioteer!

Surely, the great God might well put the same proposal to those who are complaining of His providence. If we cannot trust Him — could we manage better ourselves?

If we are Christians, let us believe in our God, and leave the governance of the great world to the Lord God, our heavenly Father, who will surely cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him!

C H Spurgeon - WHY DO YOU WORRY? Luke 12:25

Christians are forbidden to be anxious (Matt. 6:31–34). “Look at the birds of the air,” said Christ, “they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they?” (Matt. 6:26). If you have a Father in heaven who cares for you, every little bird that sits on a branch and sings, even though it doesn’t have a grain of barley in all the world, should put you to shame if you are anxious. The birds live exempt from care, why not you?
Our Lord taught that anxiety is useless and needless. Care and worry cannot add one cubit to our stature (Luke 12:25). If the farmer worries about lack of rain, will this open the clouds of heaven? If the merchant is concerned because an unfavorable wind delays his loaded ship, can this turn the gale to another quarter? We do not improve our lot by fretting and fuming. If we were infinitely wiser we would throw our cares on God. Prudence is wisdom, for it adapts a means to an end. Anxiety is folly, for it groans and worries and accomplishes nothing.
According to our Savior, anxiety about worldly things is heathenish, “For all these things the Gentiles seek” (Matt. 6:32). Heathens have no God, and so they try to be their own providence. The believer who can say, “God’s providence is my inheritance,” will not worry. Let the heirs of heaven live on a higher plane than sinners who live without God and without hope. If we cannot trust our great God, can we better manager our lives? If we are in Christ, let us believe in our God and leave the governing of both the outside world and the little world within to our heavenly Father.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5–6).

C H Spurgeon - TO GIVE YOU THE KINGDOM. Luke 12:32

Christ addresses anxiety with these words, “Do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind” (Luke 12:29). Never question whether God’s bounty can provide food, drink, and clothing, for He has promised you a crown and a mansion. “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). Surely He who takes the trouble to give you a kingdom will not let you starve on the road to it.
Do not worry about your losses, for “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Affairs of heaven draw my mind from the paltry things of earth. Heir of heaven, you cannot afford to worry about the little annoyances of this fleeting life. Anxiety dishonors God.
I heard about a street sweeper who worked with great diligence. He had a valuable broom that he highly prized, and the few pennies that he spent to purchase it were of great importance. One day a lawyer tapped him on the shoulder and said, “My good friend, is your name so and so?”
“Yes it is.”
“Did your father live in such a place?”
“He did.”
“Then I have the pleasure of informing you that you have inherited an estate worth over a million pounds a year.” The street sweeper walked away without his broom. Neither would I have pushed that broom another moment had I been in his position.
Christian, let me tug your sleeve and tell you about a possession that may well turn you away from your present paltry pickings. Jesus Christ informs you, “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom,” and this kingdom is worth infinitely more than all the gold of this world.
You can say, “Let others worry about earthly things, I am going to inherit a kingdom. I will look for that inheritance and will begin to rejoice in it.”

Anxious care - James Smith, "The True Remedy!" 1856

Another soul-disorder is anxious care. Worry or anxiety is prohibited by the gospel, because it is injurious to us, and reflects badly upon the care and kindness of God. Yet we, like Martha — are anxious and troubled about many things. We lose sight of the fact that God is our Father, and as such, He is engaged to provide for us. We forget that . . .
   we are in our Father's world,
   we are living under our Father's eye,
   we are fed by our Father's hand, and
   our interests lie near our Father's heart!

The true remedy for anxious care is to realize daily, and every hour of every day . . .
   that the Lord cares for us,
   that He knows where we are, and what we are,
   that He has fixed the bounds of our habitation,
   that His feeding the sparrows, is a proof that He will never neglect His children.

Anxiety! As a believer in Jesus, as a child of God — about what should I be anxious?

God is my Father, and He loves me — loves me just as He loves Jesus!

He cares for me — cares for me as much as He cared for the apostle Paul.

He watches over me, as a tender mother watches over her precious infant!

He keeps me — keeps me as the apple of His eye; and lest anything should hurt me, He will keep me night and day. He bids me cast every care upon Him. He exhorts me not to worry about anything — but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, to let my requests be made known unto Him.

This is the true remedy for anxious care:
to live in close and intimate fellowship with God, and cast all my cares upon Him as they come in;
to live realizing the fact, that I am the object of the constant, tender, loving care of God — that my God cares for me, for my best interests, for my everlasting welfare!

Yes, this is the only true remedy!

Worry — or preparation? J.R. Miller
There is a large difference between worrying about possible future trials — and being prepared for them if they should come. The former we should never do — the latter we should always seek to do. If we do, we are always prepared . . .
   for emergencies,
   for the hard knocks,
   for the steep climbing,
   for the sore struggle —
and we get through life victoriously.
In moral and spiritual things, it is the same. It is our preparation which preserves us in all the final tests — the strength which lies behind what we need in ordinary encounters. Those who daily commune with God, breathing His life into their souls — become strong with that hidden strength that preserves them from falling in the day of trial. They have a "vessel" from which to refill the lamp when its little cup of oil is exhausted.
"Do not worry about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34
"Prepared for every good work." 2 Timothy 2:21
"Be prepared in season and out of season" 2 Timothy 4:2
"Therefore, prepare your minds for action!" 1 Peter 1:13

See also -

Reasons for Not Worrying J. R. Miller, 1894

George MacDonald tells of a castle in which lived an old man and his son. Though they owned the castle, they were yet very poor. They could scarcely get enough bread to keep them from starving. Yet all the time there was great wealth, which, if they had known about it, would have supplied all their wants. Through long generations there had been concealed within the castle—very valuable jewels, which had been placed there by some remote ancestor, so that if he or any of his descendants should be in need, there would be something in reserve.

For a long time the old man and his son suffered for lack of food, not knowing of the hidden treasures. At last, however, they learned in some way of the jewels, and instantly their distress was ended. Yet all the years of their pinching poverty, these treasures had lain there, ready to furnish comfort, if only they had known of them.

This story illustrates the case of many Christians. They are living in their Father's house, in which are concealed the rich treasures of Divine love. Yet many of God's children seem not to know of these treasures, and live in distress. There really never is any reason why a child of God should worry about anything.

We have this teaching in plainest words in the Sermon on the Mount. Christ gives a number of strong reasons for not worrying.

One of the reasons is that anxiety about food and clothing and the world's things—is serving mammon, and we cannot serve mammon and serve God at the same time. It is trusting in money to provide for our needs, instead of in God. When money fails, then we are in distress. George MacDonald says again, "How often do we look upon God as our last and feeblest resource! We go to Him because we have nowhere else to go!" We feel safer when mammon's abundance fills the pantry and the wardrobe—than when mammon threatens to fail and we have only God.

Another reason against worry is that God, having given us our life—is certainly able to provide for our life's needs. The life is more than its provision. What a strange, mysterious thing it is, this thing which we call life! It is more wonderful than the mountains and the stars.

Think of physical life—that beats in the heart, and pulses in the veins, and stirs in all the fibers.

Think of mental life—that knows, and remembers, and feels, and chooses, and loves, and suffers; that can dart across seas and fly to the skies!

Think of spiritual life—that can climb the stairways of light and commune with God; that can worship; that can be fashioned into Christ's image; that is capable of heavenly blessedness; and that shall live as long as God lives. God has made this wonderful life—can He not provide for it the piece of bread and the cup of water it daily needs for its daily sustenance? Why, then, should we be anxious for these things?

Another reason why we should not worry the great Teacher draws from nature. God feeds the birds and clothes the flowers. "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Is the teaching that since the birds neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, therefore we should put forth no exertion to provide for our own needs? No; the birds do the best they know, but God has given us power by which we can gather for ourselves.

It is not an untoiling life—which our Lord enjoins. Curse rests not upon work—but upon idleness. The lesson from the untoiling birds is, not that we are not to work—but that we are to fill our own place as the birds fill theirs—and that then God will take care of us. God's children are better than His birds. Birds have no soul, no mental faculties. They cannot think nor reason. They do not wear God's image. They are not God's children. God is the birds' Creator—but not their Father. An earthly father will do more for his children—than for his hens. A mother will give more thought to her baby—than to her canary. Just so, our heavenly Father will provide more surely and more carefully for His children—than for His birds.

A like lesson Jesus teaches from the flowers. God clothes the lilies in loveliness far surpassing any adornment which the finest skill that art can produce. We are better than flowers. They live but for a day, and their rich beauty fades. They are lovely—but there is no soul in them, and they have no future. If our Father lavishes so much beauty on perishing plants, is there any ground for fear that He will not clothe His own dear children? Like the lily, we should grow into sweet beauty wherever God places us, not complaining, not vexing ourselves with anxious care, fulfilling God's purpose and doing God's will.

Another of the reasons Jesus gives why we should not worry—is the uselessness of it. We cannot by being anxious about our height, for example, make ourselves any taller. We cannot by worry change the color of our hair—unless it be that we vex ourselves until our hair becomes grey! When we think of it, a great deal of the worrying that is so common—is over matters that we have no power to change! There is much fretting about the weather. There are many people who never get it just as they want it. They are always complaining and finding fault. But who ever heard of such fretting changing the weather? It were better far just to accept it as it comes, and be cheerful whichever way the wind blows, and whether it is hot or cold, rainy or dry.

There are many people whose condition in life disappoints them. They are poor and have to work hard to provide for their families. They have troubles and trials. They meet difficulties. Sometimes one can change one's circumstances by making an earnest effort. That is good and right. God wants us to make the most of our life. He would not have us live on in unpleasant conditions which with a little energy and taste—we might transform into comfort. If the roof leaks, we ought to mend it. If the fence is broken and our neighbor's cattle get into our garden, we ought to repair the fence. If the chimney smokes, we ought to have the flues cleaned out. There are many worries of this class which we ought to have sense enough to cure for ourselves, without vexing our souls with worry over them.

But there are many things, not just to our mind, which we cannot alter. Many young people fret over the limitations of their home, the narrowness of their opportunities. They think that if only they had the home and the opportunities of some envied neighbor, they would get on so much better and make so much more of their life! They have to work constantly on the farm or in the shop. They have no time for reading. Their home is without cheerfulness. They love it, of course—but it lacks the privileges they crave.

Now, what good can ever come from worrying over such things? The noble way is to accept the conditions that are hard—is to live cheerfully in them. Hard work is made easier—when one can sing at it. Burdens are made lighter—when one's heart is full of joy. When we acquiesce in any unpleasant experience, we have conquered the unpleasantness. A thoughtful writer says: "The soul loses command of itself when it is impatient, whereas, when it submits without a murmur, it possesses itself in peace, and possesses God. When we acquiesce in an evil, it is no longer such. Why make a real calamity of it by resistance? Peace does not dwell in outward things—but within the soul. We may preserve peace of heart in the midst of bitterest pain—if we remain trusting and submissive. Peace in this life springs from acquiescence, even in disagreeable things, not in exemption from bearing them."

Besides, the very hardness of our condition—is ofttimes that from which the greatest blessing comes. The world's best men—have not been grown in easy circumstances. Pampered, petted boys—do not usually make the heroes and the great men of their generation. Hardship in early years, nine times out of ten, is that which makes a man strong and stalwart and a power among men when he reaches his prime.

Herodotus wrote: "It is a law of nature that faint-hearted men should be the fruit of luxurious countries; for we never find that the same soil produces both delicacies and heroes." Therefore, instead of worrying over the rough, stern, and severe things in his environment, a healthy, wholesome boy ought to set to work to master them, and in mastering them—get strength and victoriousness for his own life.

A jeweler brought a large and beautiful onyx to an engraver of precious stones. "See how clear, pure, and transparent this stone is," said the jeweler. "What a fine one for your skill, were it not for this one fatal blemish!" Then he showed him at one point an underlying tinge of iron-rust, which, as he said, made the stone almost worthless.

But the engraver took it, and with matchless skill and delicacy wrought upon the stone, carving a graceful figure. By most ingenious and patient use of his engraving tool, he fashioned it so that what had seemed an irreparable blemish was made into a leopard-skin, on which rested the foot of the lovely figure—the contrasting colors enhancing the beauty of the lovely cameo.

This illustrates what God would have us do with the hard things in our condition. We think we can never make anything of our life, with all the discouraging things there are in our lot. Really, however we can make our life all the nobler, greater, stronger, more beautiful—by means of the very things which we think ruin us. We can make them yield new strength and beauty, for our character.

This is the way to treat the hard, discouraging things in life. It is useless to fret over them—fretting will never remove them, and it only weakens our energy and mars our life! But if we meet them with undismayed courage and persistent resolve, we shall conquer them, and in conquering them carve royalty of character and noble worth of ourselves.

Another of our Master's reasons why we should not worry—is that worrying is a sin. He says that the heathen worry. But they know no better. They have never learned about God and His fatherhood, and it is no wonder if they are anxious sometimes about the needs of their lives. But we know what God is. We have learned to call Him our Father. If we believe what we say we believe concerning our privileges as God's children—we ought not to worry. Worry is doubting God, unbelief. It dishonors Him whose love is infinite and eternal, and whose promises are so wide and full.

For, really, as Jesus tells us again—we have nothing to do with the care of our own life. We have only one thing to do: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." The rest is God's responsibility, "And all these things shall be added unto you." When we grow anxious about food or clothing or shelter—we are taking the care of our life out of our Father's hand. We should learn to put the emphasis on our own duty. We never can be too careful at this point. We must leave no duty undone, no task neglected. We must not seek to care of ourselves by sinful means, by living dishonestly. Our part is to be true, loyal, and faithful. Then we may leave all the rest in God's hands.

At the close of His wonderful talk about worry, our Lord gives us a wonderful secret. He tells us that we should keep the fences up between the days. We must not bring tomorrow's cares—into today. The morrow must look to its own matters. When its cares actually come—it will be soon enough to take them up. This is a golden lesson—living by the day. We should learn it!

"One day at a time. A burden too great
To be borne for two—can be borne for one.
Who knows what will enter tomorrow's gate?
While yet we are speaking, all may be done.

"One day at a time. But a single day,
Whatever its load, whatever its length;
And there's a bit of precious Scripture to say
That according to each—shall be our strength."

He who learns the lesson, living without worrying, has mastered life. He is ready then to live sweetly and most effectively. It is said that the electro-dynamo is well-near perfect in its conservation of energy. Ninety-five percent of the force it generates is utilized—goes into light or power. If we can learn so to live so that only five percent of our energy is expended in friction or needless waste, we shall have learned indeed, in one sense at least—to make the most of our life. Many people have not learned to live in this economical way. They waste in anxious care—what they ought to use in lighting the world with their peace, or helping others with their strength. For nothing wastes life's energies more rapidly and more needlessly, than worry.

WORRY J.R. Miller
An English writer calls worry the disease of the age. Mark the word disease, which Dr. Saleeby uses to designate worry. It is not a normal, but an unwholesome condition. In a perfectly healthy state one does not worry — but has the simple trust of a little child.

I want to talk to young people on this subject. But do young people ever worry? It would seem that they should not, that youth is free from care and discontent. Youth is the season of inexperience. Every day brings its new and strange things, its questions, its lessons, its mysteries, its disappointments, its fears. I need not go into the reasons for it — but the fact is that young people are quite as apt to worry as older people are. So Dr. Saleeby in his book writes about child worry as well as the worry of old age.

The time to learn any life-lesson is in youth. All habits, good and bad, are formed then. If you are going to pass through life without worry, now is the time to begin. If you let yourself become anxious and restless in the bright early days — you will probably go through life in the same unhappy way.

Have you ever thought of the way worry hurts and spoils a life? We cannot help growing older in years — but there is no reason why we should ever grow old in spirit. Yet worry makes people old in spirit, even in the days of youth when they should be as happy as birds.

Not only does worry make one age — but it takes the brightness out of life — the song, the joy, the enthusiasm. It covers the face with wrinkles. Our moods make our faces! Girls should always remain beautiful — but they cannot if they worry.

You know perfectly well that worry is entirely useless. It never did anybody any good. It does not take away the thing you worry about. Worry about health never made anyone more healthy. Worry about the hardness of one's work never made the work any lighter. "Ah — but you don't know my circumstances," some forlorn young fellow says, "or you wouldn't talk about the uselessness of worry." But, honestly, fellows, did you ever find a particle of help in worrying? Did it ever do you any good? "Be anxious for nothing," is the Bible teaching. The emphasis is on the word "nothing." There is absolutely nothing that we are ever to worry about!

It has been shown many times that a large amount of the worries people have, are about things that never really come to them. "Ills that never happened, have chiefly made men wretched," wrote an old poet.

It is said that a father had gathered his sons about him to hear his dying words. He gave them wise counsels. Last of all he said to them with deepening seriousness, "I have had a great many troubles in my life, a great many troubles, but — most of them never happened." The old man did well to warn his boys against foreboding.

Many dreaded troubles vanish as we move quietly toward them. Stones which we suppose block our course are rolled away as we approach. In any case we hear the Master's word, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own!"

There are hard points in every life that is worth while — but when we come to them through faithfulness and diligence we shall always find a way to meet them victoriously.

I would urge the young people, therefore, to put worry down among the things that are positively not to be admitted into their lives.

Lying is quite a common vice — but no young man would plead that he could not help lying, at least a little, now and then. Lying is to be absolutely avoided by everyone who would live worthily and be a good and noble man.

We ought to deal in the same positive way with worry. Think of it as a vice, a sin, just as profane swearing is. It is not a harmless indulgence, something we cannot help, which we are to admit into our life as an amiable infirmity. It is a sin, and we are never to compromise with sin.

I want to help our young fellows to reach the best manhood — not a soft and mushy manhood — but a manliness that is strong, pure, vigorous, brave, victorious. The young man that worries is weak — he is not master of himself. He lacks faith. He is not sure of himself. He yields to discouragement — another fatal defect in character.

Worry is the mother of a long list of evils. Only think to how many dangers it leads. The man who worries will never reach the finest things in attainment or achievement. Whatever you do — do not worry; put worry down in the list of things that are never to be indulged in, never to be thought of as possible.

Some of you would like to ask me how to learn not to worry. Perhaps you imagine that it takes a great deal of grace to do it. We need grace in everything. Without divine help we never can do anything. But some people expect God to do things for them, which they must do for themselves.

It is told of a great Christian scholar, that he was a very early riser. A young clergyman was talking to the old man about this habit and lamenting that he could not learn to rise early. "Tell me how you do it — I suppose you pray a great deal about it."

"No," said the godly man, "I get up."

Of course, you will pray about this — but the thing for you is — not to pray about it, but — not to worry!

ADVICE TO THE ANXIOUS: Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do. Philippians 4:9-note

One should never reject the advice and example of a truly godly person. Paul, though a humble follower of Christ, urged the Philippian Christians to listen to him and to emulate his conduct. You see, he was in prison when he wrote this letter, and had experienced the peace of God that results when one casts his care upon the Lord through "prayer and supplication with thanks-giving." (Phil 4:6-note) He also knew the blessing that came to his own heart when he meditated upon things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report.

Are you a worrier? If you are, let me tell you something that may add to your list of anxieties. Worry is a major factor in the breakdown of personal health and may shorten your life! It is also a sin to brood over your troubles, for you are implying that the Lord is either unable or unwilling to meet your needs.

When worrisome thoughts cloud your mind, why not take the tested and proven advice of the apostle Paul? Talk to the Lord and trust Him to do what He knows is best for you. The old adage is still true

The devil trembles when he sees the weakest Christian on his knees. (cp Jas 4:8-note)

Then after you have prayed, proceed to empty your mind of your worries by setting your thoughts upon "whatever things are true,... honest,... pure,... lovely,... [and] of good report" (Phil. 4:8-note). This is the kind of "positive thinking" that pleases the Lord, and He will give peace, strength, joy, and victory to all who will obey Paul's inspired injunction. H G Bosch (Ibid)

For all His children, God desires
A life of trust, not flurry;
His will for them each day is this:
That they should trust, not worry!
—Anon.

It is comforting to know that the Lord Who guides us sees tomorrow more clearly than we see yesterday!

Sovereign, supreme disposal (J. C. Philpot, "Meditations on Ephesians")

"And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and He gave Him this authority for the benefit of the church." Ephesians 1:22

God has put all things, events, and circumstances under the authority of Christ! How vast, how numerous, how complicated are the various events and circumstances which attend the children of God here below, as they travel onward to their heavenly home! What an intricate maze they often seem, and how much they appear opposed to us, as if we never could get through them, or scarcely live under them!

Yet, there cannot be a single circumstance over which Jesus has not supreme control. Everything in providence and everything in grace are alike subject to His disposal.
There is not . . .
a trial,
a temptation,
an affliction of body or soul,
a loss,
a cross,
a painful bereavement,
a vexation,
a grief,
a disappointment,
a case, state, or condition,
which is not put under Jesus' authority!

He has sovereign, supreme disposal over all events and circumstances! As possessed of infinite knowledge, He sees them. As possessed of infinite wisdom, He can manage them. As possessed of infinite power, He can dispose and direct them for our good and His own glory! How much trouble and anxiety we would save ourselves, could we firmly believe, realize, and act on this! If we could see by the eye of faith that . . .
every foe and every fear,
every difficulty and perplexity,
every trying or painful circumstance,
every looked-for or unlooked-for event,
every source of anxiety, whether at present or in prospect,
are all under His dominion, and at His sovereign disposal—what
a load of anxiety and care would be taken off our shoulders!

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me." Matthew 28:18

The story is told about a man whose store was destroyed by fire. And to make matters worse, he had failed to renew his fire insurance. Later that day, an old friend asked how he was coping with the shocking loss. The answer was both surprising and pleasing.

"I'm getting along just fine," he said.

"I had breakfast this morning, and it isn't time to eat again."

With a thankful heart for his previous meal, that man wasn't worried about the next one. Not only was he taking one day at a time as he faced the seemingly impossible task of starting all over, but he was also taking one hour at a time.

Jesus said, ". . . do not worry about tomorrow" (Matt. 6:34).

He doesn't want us to be burdened with the needless weight of anxiety about the future. We have enough to do to deal with the present. We must refuse to fret about things over which we have no control. Then we can rejoice in God's sustaining grace—one day at a time. —R. W De Haan (Ibid)

God never asks us to bear tomorrows burdens with todays grace!

VICTORY OVER WORRY: I once read about an unusual woman who had learned the secret of victory over worry. Although a widow for years, she had successfully raised not only her own six children but twelve adopted ones as well. When a reporter asked how she managed to remain so calm and poised with her busy schedule, she said, "Oh, I'm in a partnership." "What kind of partnership?" he asked. She replied, "One day, a long time ago, I said,

`Lord, I'll do the work, and You do the worrying.' I haven't had a worry since.

What a wonderful partnership! Our daily duties and responsibilities won't be a burden if we let God do His part. When we give Him the "worrying," we become free from fear and anxiety. When we allow Him to be part of all we do, our weak efforts are supported by His divine power. When we are willing to do what He has assigned, we can present our need to Him and trust Him for His help. We can let Him do the worrying! —R. W De Haan (Ibid)

If we worry, we cannot trust. If we trust we won't worry.

Brian Harbour - A Cure for Worry

Philippians 4:6-9

In 1988, a song by Bobby McFerrin won three grammy awards. It was not a song of great intellectual depth. It was not a song with tremendous musical style. It was a simple song which repeated over twenty times this single phrase: "Don't Worry, Be Happy!"
Why would a song with such ordinary musical style and such simple lyrics sweep this country by storm? The answer I believe is in the fact that worry and anxiety are at the core of human existence today. Everyone, everywhere is looking for an answer to help them overcome their anxiety and experience true joy in life. Everyone, everywhere would like to be able to not worry and be happy.
There seems to be no end to the anxieties that are woven into the texture of life's pattern.
One writer spoke the truth when he said, "Worry reigns over more human beings than any other potentate."
That was no less true for the people of Paul's day than it is for the people of our day. That's why this message tonight is so important, because Paul suggested a cure for worry. He suggested a way we cannot worry and be happy. Let's see what Paul said.

Philippians 4:6

Paul began by saying, "Do not be anxious about anything."
The word translated "anxious" means to be pulled in two different directions, to have our energies divided. It comes from an old English root that means "to strangle." The kind of anxiety Paul was talking about here is not a healthy preparedness for the future but a kind of unhealthy fretting that pulls us in two directions and dilutes our energies.
It is what Dr. Wayne Dyer had in mind when he defined worry as "immobilization in the present because of concern about something in the future over which you have scant control."
Worry is "interest paid on trouble before it is due."
Paul said it has no place in the life of the Christian.
We need to understand that the kind of anxiety which immobilizes us and strangles our spiritual energy is a sin. Because of that, some of us who have gone through our lives laughing about worry as an annoying habit need to confess it as a sin against God.
"Do not be anxious," Paul said, "about anything."
Now, if Paul stopped there, we would write him off as an impractical idealist or as a nut.
Notice, however, Paul did not stop there. There is no period after that command but a comma, followed by his suggestions on how that command can be carried out.
Paul made the first suggestion still in verse 6: "but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Notice three different words used to describe prayer in verse 6.
The general word "prayer" carries with it the idea of adoration and worship.
The second word is "petition" which means an earnest sharing of our needs and problems with God.
The third word is "thanksgiving" which means an expression of appreciation to God for who He is and what He does.
I want you to notice where Paul put the emphasis. The emphasis is not on the fact that they are to adore God and worship Him. Nor is the emphasis on the fact that they are to lay their troubles before Him. The emphasis is on the fact that they are to worship God and lay their troubles before Him with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the key.
Do you know what that means? It means to begin by praising God for the fact that in this situation, as in every situation, He is the mighty God.
In this situation, as in every situation, He is sufficient.
In this situation, as in every situation, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all... will... also with Him freely give us all things." (Romans 8:32)
To begin with that conviction is to end anxiety.
To be anxious means to say, "I am not able to deal with this situation." Thanksgiving means to say, "Praise God, He is able to deal with this situation, for all things are possible with Him."
That's why worry is a sin, because it is based on the assumption that God is not able to take care of our lives. Worry is a theological problem, and the solution is to expand our concept of God to recognize that He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.
The first step in facing anxiety is to bring God into it through prayer. What will be the result? We see the answer in verse 7.

Philippians 4:7

When we pray, with thanksgiving, "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
The New Testament speaks of

"peace with God" and the
"peace of God."

Peace with God is what we experience when we come into a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Paul spoke of this in Romans 5:1: "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
The peace of God is what we experience as we live out our lives in that new relationship to God. That's what Paul referred to here in Philippians. Paul called it a peace "which transcends all understanding."
Paul Powell tells of an experience he had with one of his former church members. He returned to a church where he had previously served to do a funeral. At the graveside, a former member named Eloise told him she had just learned she had cancer. Several years earlier she had gone through a cancer operation and subsequent treatments. She had been pronounced cured. Now the problems returned. She was scheduled to go to the hospital for some tests to determine the diagnosis.
Eloise said she was so worried she could not sleep. Then she began to pray. She said, "I prayed and prayed until I came to the place where I said, whatever your will is, I accept it." At that point, she said, a peace came over her like she had never experienced before.
She went into the hospital and the tests confirmed the worst. Her cancer was advanced and nothing could be done.
"But," she explained, "the peace was still there. I wasn't troubled. I wasn't worried. All my friends came to visit and saw how I was responding. They said, 'Eloise, we don't understand how you can take it like this.'"
Eloise said, "Preacher, I don't understand it either. I think this must be the 'peace that passes understanding.'"
Two choices confront us. Our hearts can be torn apart by our anxiety. Or our hearts can be guarded by the peace of God. Prayer makes the difference.

Philippians 4:8

Another cure for worry is found in verse 8. We not only need to pray. We also need to refocus our minds.
Paul said, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
The word translated "think" means to calculate as when a workman takes careful measurements before he sets about his task.
Prayer is not all we need to do when our anxiety level rises. Prayer is certainly the first step, but it is just as certainly not the final step.
After we bring God into the situation through prayer, then we need to carefully analyze the problem and determine what can be done. We need to bring our minds into it.
All of you have heard of and maybe have practiced counting sheep to deal with insomnia. Traditionally, we thought that the serene pastoral setting in which the wooly creatures lived was what relieved tension and led to sleep.
Two Harvard psychologists have recently studied the matter and have concluded that the landscape has nothing to do with it. It is a matter of brain activity. Crudely speaking, the right side of the brain controls imagery and the left side controls rational thought. Thus, visualizing sheep prevents the right hemisphere of the brain from producing anxiety producing imagery. The counting keeps the left hemisphere from straying into anxiety-producing thought. By keeping our brain busy, we drown out anxiety producing visions and thoughts and thus, we are able to fall asleep. It's a matter of brain activity.
Two thousand years before these two men of science discovered that truth, a man of God suggested it to the Christians at Philippi. When faced by a situation that threatens us with anxiety, we are to bring our minds into it.
We are to set our minds to work contemplating the resources that are ours and the alternate courses that are open.
We are to get our minds busy discovering what we and God can do to deal with this situation.
Reflection, that is the second cure for worry.

Philippians 4:9

A third suggestion is found in verse 9: Paul said, "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice."
Wayne Dyer, in his book Your Erroneous Zones, concludes that the reason we worry so much is that there are some underlying psychological payoffs that worry provides. Our worry becomes an excuse for inactivity.
"I can't do anything," we say, "I'm too worried." And thus, we do not have to take the risk that invariably accompanies action. It is easier to worry than to be an active, involved person.
This is a keen insight, and it points to this third antidote for worry: action. A lot of people spend their time stewing without doing. Paul suggested doing something about the things that worry us.
Tammy's brother had built a trap to catch birds. She loved birds and was worried about what would happen to them. So this is what she did. She prayed that God would not let her brother catch any birds in his trap. The she went out and kicked it to pieces.
This is a very simple illustration of what Paul said in our text for tonight.
When faced by a situation that threatens us with anxiety:
Pray: that is, bring God into it.
Think: that is, set our minds to work analyzing our resources and alternatives and then:
Act: do something. Put our lives into action.

Fretting Is A Waste -- Fret (derived from an Old English word fretan meaning "to eat") means to affect something as if by gnawing or biting, to cause to suffer emotional strain, to become vexed or worried, (of a road surface) to become loose so that potholes develop (think about that definition as a word pix of what happens to the one who frets and worries); a state of irritation or anxiety. To corrode, rub, chafe, fray, vex, agitate, ripple, grate, stew, fume, brood, eat one's heart out, agonize, anguish, lose sleep over, obsess about, upset or distress oneself, worry, erode, gall, wear, wear away, annoy, bother, disturb, chagrin, goad, grieve, harass, irk, irritate, nag, nettle, provoke, rankle with, rile, ruffle, torment, trouble. Whew!!!

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.
Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing (Psalm 37:8) (Note)

The older we get, the shorter life seems. Author Victor Hugo said, "Short as life is, we make it still shorter by the careless waste of time." There's no sadder example of wasted time than a life dominated by fretting. Take, for example, an American woman whose dream of riding a train through the English countryside came true. After boarding the train she kept fretting about the windows and the temperature, complaining about her seat assignment, rearranging her luggage, and so on. To her shock, she suddenly reached her journey's end. With deep regret she said to the person meeting her, "If I'd known I was going to arrive so soon, I wouldn't have wasted my time fretting so much." It's easy to get sidetracked by problems that won't matter at life's end—difficult neighbors, a tight budget, signs of aging, people who are wealthier than you. Moses acknowledged the brevity of life and prayed, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12 - Spurgeon's comment). Instead of fretting, feed on God's Word and apply it to yourself. Strive to grow in God's wisdom every day. Stay focused on eternal values. Make it your goal to greet your waiting Savior one day with a heart of wisdom, rather than a heart of care. —Joanie Yoder (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved) (See also booklet What Can I Do With My Worry?)

Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear. —Berg

Worry casts a big shadow behind a small thing.

Search

Anxiety-Worry-Quotes, Devotionals & Illustrations

Tags