Worry Less, Trust More
A compilation
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First Peter 5:7 teaches, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Scripture is clear that we are to turn all our worries over to God, but how can we do this?
First, we can realize God has given us all the power we need to live for Him. Second Peter 1:3 teaches, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” We do not need to fear whether we can make it through a problem; God’s power is much bigger than our greatest need.
Second, we can remember that our problems can help us grow in Christ. In fact, James says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4).
Third, we can use problems as opportunities for prayer and dependence upon God. After giving reason to count problems as joy, James continues, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). During times of worry or trouble, we turn to God for wisdom to help.
Fourth, worries allow us to work together as the body of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 1:6, Paul wrote, “If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.” He recognized his affliction was part of helping others. …
Fifth, God may allow us to experience certain problems in order to later be of help to others. Just as Paul used his pain to help others, God can and often does use pain in our lives to allow us to better serve others in the same area of need. …
Every Christian faces problems in this life. There may be a variety of reasons, but they are all ultimately used as part of God’s plan and purposes. For those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, He works all things together according to His good (Romans 8:28). Therefore, we can cast our cares on Him, focusing on how our worries can be of value to help us grow in Christ and be of benefit to others.—CompellingTruth.org1
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The Bible clearly teaches that Christians are not to worry. In Philippians 4:6, we are commanded, “Do not be anxious [do not worry] about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” In this Scripture, we learn that we should bring all our needs and concerns to God in prayer rather than worry about them. … Jesus assures us that our heavenly Father will take care of all our needs (Matthew 6:25–34). Therefore, we have no need to worry about anything.
Since worrying should not be a part of a believer’s life, how does one overcome worry? In 1 Peter 5:7, we are instructed to “cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” … God is concerned about everything that happens to us. No worry is too big or too small for His attention. When we give God our problems, He promises to give us the peace which transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7). …
To those who have given their lives to Him, Jesus promised, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).—GotQuestions.org2
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For a good bit of my life, I’ve been a worrier. My take on the “power of positive thinking, look on the bright side” philosophy was, “That kind of advice is for wimps. I’m a realist. When the going gets rough, I worry about it! No apologies.”
It’s not that I’m a pessimist; it’s just that I’d fret when things happened that I couldn’t control. (I have to admit that I’d fret a fair bit over things I could control, too.) It should come as no surprise then that over time I had developed an ulcer which then became aggravated.
I first noticed the symptoms on the eve of an expedition into “uncharted seas” with a fair amount of risk and stress involved, but I managed to muddle through. My ship was leaky, but I was able to bail the water out and keep sailing.
This condition continued for several years, until one day when instead of tapering off and going away on their own, the symptoms came on stronger than ever—and then intensified some more. I couldn’t manage them the way I usually did, and I began rapidly losing weight.
My ship was sinking! The doctor’s diagnosis was a bleeding ulcer and severe gastritis. He prescribed antibiotics and told me to watch what I ate. After I spent a time in “dry dock,” the leak was patched, the symptoms cleared up, and I’m happy to say that they haven’t bothered me for years now.
But I don’t think this voyage would have ended so happily had I only followed the doctor’s advice. The state I was in drove me to look to God as well, and His message to me was direct: “Get with the program, sailor! Stress management is for you, too.”
And here’s where the story gets interesting. I still get hit with worry, but instead of continuing along on that track, I catch myself and realize I’m getting off course. Then I either seek the Lord and get my bearings on my own, or I ask my wife or someone else to pray for me, and that does it. The first step was accepting that I needed to change—that no matter how careful I was about diet and exercise, large amounts of worry and stress were harmful, like trying to navigate and scuttle the ship at the same time.
It’s like the story in John 6 about the disciples having a hard time of it, trying to row their boat in a strong wind, with rough waves, in the dark. They saw Jesus walking toward them on the water and they were terrified. But He said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were eager to let Him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination! (See John 6:16–21.)
Not long after, Jesus told His disciples that He would leave them His peace and told them not to be troubled or fearful (John 14:27). The apostle Paul gave his readers the following formula for peace of mind: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).
Paul himself certainly spent a lot of time in a variety of very stressful places, from raging seas to prison and more. Once, he was set free by an earthquake (Acts 16:23–34); other times, he had to tough it out for long days and nights (Acts chapter 27)—but no matter what happened to him, he was never left comfortless. God always saw him through. Though my tale is nowhere near as harrowing and thrilling as any of his, I have experienced the same peace. Jesus delivered me from being a chronic worrier, and He can do it for anyone.—David Bolick
Published on Anchor January 2025. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso. Music by Michael Dooley.