The Futility of Worry

Today, I introduce a guest blogger, David Kreklau. David is a friend I met at our church, and he is a new blogger. He is posting as a guest today, not only because he is a friend, but more importantly he has a lot of good things to say. Be sure to stop by his blog and check out his content. Enjoy the following post!

I have been thinking about my home a lot lately. I am trying to sell it.

In fact, I have a showing today. Thus, I have been praying and praying… hoping and trusting in the Lord that it will sell.

But every now and then, a thought creeps into my mind… what if it doesn’t sell? And . . .

I begin to worry

What is worry? Why do we worry?

I think if any one of us were given the choice of whether or not to worry, we would all choose not to do so. But unfortunately, worry is a common part of our lives.

Jesus has this to say about worry:

“Therefore I tell you, 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, and the body more important than clothes? 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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 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. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:25-34, NIV

This is a wonderful passage where Jesus takes our basic needs (i.e. food and clothing) and asks us why we worry about our provision for them.

There is a lot to unpack here, but I will focus on two main points.

#1. Worry is Unbelief.

Why does Jesus say “O you of little faith?” in verse 30? What does faith have to do with this?

Everything.

The entire reason that we worry is that we do not believe that God will take care of us.

He tells us – promises us – in His Word that if we seek His face, He will take care of us, that He will provide for our basic needs (vs. 33). And we should take comfort in what Paul says in Romans 8:28 that “…we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (NKJV).

Thus, despite what happens with my house, I can have faith that God is going to provide for me.

And if it does not sell, I can rest on the knowledge that “all things work together” for my good, regardless of whether or not I understand what that means.

This allows me to rest on the understanding that my perception does not necessarily equate with truth. Just because I perceive something to be good, doesn’t mean it is.

I might think that selling this house right now is the best possible scenario, but God, in His providence, truly knows what the best scenario is.

#2. Worry is Futile.

Jesus asks in verse 27, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

This is a simple but profound statement. What does worry accomplish? Nothing. When I ponder worry, I consider it to be synonymous with the word “futility.”

A survey of dictionary definitions led me to this interpretation of futility: an act with no useful or effective result.

Isn’t this what worry is?

It’s an act – something that we do – that produces zero result of anything. It is not helpful. It is useless and ineffective.

In fact, the best way I can describe futility is to look at one of its synonyms: fruitlessness.

Fruitlessness simply means to “bear no fruit.”

As children of the Living God, we are to “bear fruit in every good work (Colossians 1:10, cf. Romans 7:4),” by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul tells us in Galatians 5:22-23 that the fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Now think about what it means to be fruitless in this context.

If I am worrying, I am being fruitless.

Instead of worrying, I could be joyful; instead of worrying, I could be practicing love, kindness, goodness, and on I could go.

Listen: stop worrying. I mean it! Stop worrying . . . today!

Believe God and be fruitful!

For James says that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26). And when we worry, we have neither faith, nor works of faith, only mere futility.

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