Jesus says don’t worry. We all nod. Then we go right back to worrying.
Donny knows that, and he’s not going to just quote Matthew 6:25 and tell us to try harder this morning. He’s going to start with what’s actually happening in our heads when we worry — and why it feels so impossible to stop.
Worry is future-oriented. It’s your brain flashing “what if” scenarios endlessly, trying to problem-solve outcomes that are out of your control but that you desperately want to control. It’s not irrational. It’s your mind doing what minds do. It’s just not helpful.
Rumination is different. That’s past-oriented — fixating on something that already happened, something you can’t change, stressing over it anyway.
And anxiety is the body’s physical reaction to all of it. Lost sleep. Racing heart. Can’t concentrate. Can’t eat. Sometimes anger you can’t explain.
Most of us bounce between all three on any given Tuesday. Donny’s going to name them so we can see them.
Then he’ll take us to Matthew 6:25-34, where Jesus addresses worry head-on. “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food?”
Jesus points to the birds. They don’t sow or reap or store away in barns, and the Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? He points to the lilies. They don’t labor or spin, yet Solomon in all his splendor wasn’t dressed like one of them. And then the question that stops the whole thing: who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?
Nobody. That’s the answer. Nobody can.
“So do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”
Then the verse that anchors the entire sermon: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
From there Donny will walk through three responses to worry.
First — pray. Philippians 4:6-7. Don’t worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you’ll experience God’s peace — the kind that’s far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.
Second — give it to God. 1 Peter 5:7. Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Not some of it. All of it.
Third — stand firm. Donny will take us to 2 Chronicles 20, where King Jehoshaphat faces a vast army and has no idea what to do. He prays, “We have no power to face this vast army. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” And God answers through the prophet Jahaziel: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions. Stand firm. And see the deliverance the Lord will give you.”
Worry is built on the foundation of fear. And the answer to fear isn’t trying harder to not be afraid. It’s putting your eyes on the one who’s already fighting the battle for you.
Seek first the kingdom of God. Everything else follows.
Scripture References:
Matthew 6:25-34 · Philippians 4:6-7 · 1 Peter 5:7 · 2 Chronicles 20:12-17
