“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
(Matthew 6:27 NIV)
Jesus Teaches Us About Worry
In one of the most beloved passages of the Bible about anxiety (Matthew 6:25-33), Jesus lifts us out of our anxiety by showing us the loving care of our heavenly Father.
Jesus begins with “Do not worry” (Matthew 6:25 NIV), and then tells us why we don’t need to worry. He doesn’t leave us stuck with a seemingly impossible command. Through the rest of his speech, Jesus helps us see that freedom from worry is possible. This brings us great joy! Jesus is welcoming us into a life of peace!
However, Jesus also gently reveals the foolishness of our worry. He helps us to see how silly our worry can be, so that we can courageously take our stand in faith against it.
One Reason Not to Worry
Let’s look at one reason Jesus gives for why we should not worry. It comes from Matthew 6:27, in which Jesus says, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (NIV).
Worrying about our life can’t solve any of the potential problems we worry over. In other words, worrying can produce nothing. It’s unproductive.
In fact, when you worry, you’re losing precious time that could be spent on productive things. When we worry, we are not only not contributing to the solution, but we are actually depleting our resources. We’re forfeiting precious time to cyclical negativity.
In short, worry wastes time.
What to Do When You’re Worried
Jesus provides us with a way to redeem our time when we are anxious. He says, ”But seek first his [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33 NIV). If you’re giving your time to worry, decide right now that you’re going to redirect and give your time instead to the kingdom of God. You may be wondering, How do I seek God’s kingdom?
Well, you can seek God, the King! Instead of worrying, present your requests and your needs with a thankful heart to the one who can do something about them (Philippians 4:6-7).
Or, seek out God’s people. Put your concerns aside and choose to pick up someone else’s concerns and serve them. Maybe you will be God’s means of deliverance from their worries!
Or open God’s Word and ask him to reveal to you the things on his mind, the priorities of his kingdom—like the salvation of the lost, the spiritual maturity of his people, or the spread of the gospel.
When worry comes demanding to be on your schedule, you tell him, “I don’t have time for you. The kingdom of God has filled my schedule.”