If there is one thing that characterizes our world today, it is change. We are feeling the tectonic plates shift beneath our feet so often that it is beginning to feel commonplace. As a result, we no longer know what to expect, so the temptation to worry is extremely strong.
Feeling anxious when life becomes uncertain is a natural human response. But worry can take us a step further. We begin rehearsing everything that might go wrong, giving our fears more and more room to grow.
We may not be able to prevent every anxious thought from entering our minds, but we don’t have to surrender to them.
We have other options.
The Battle for Our Minds
Jesus confronts our tendency to worry with a clear command. In Matthew 6, He repeatedly says, “Do not worry.” And in Matthew 13:22, Jesus teaches that worry chokes out the Word of God.
Picture these two forces in direct opposition. God’s Word speaks truth, while worry tempts us to believe what isn’t true. Both compete for our attention, influencing how we interpret our circumstances and what we believe about God.
But what is the lie?
Let’s return to Matthew 6. In verse 31, Jesus says, “Do not worry . . . saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear for clothing?’” Behind these questions lurks a troubling suspicion: God may not be up to meeting my basic needs.
And notice that worry looks toward the future. That’s why Jesus says, “Do not worry about tomorrow” (v. 34). Even if God has faithfully cared for us in the past, worry whispers that He may not come through tomorrow.
In other words, “God is going to drop the ball—and drop me with it.”
Now look at the bigger picture in Matthew 6. In verse 26, Jesus points to the birds and reminds us that our heavenly Father feeds them. In verse 32, He assures us that our Father knows what we need.
Put those two truths together. God is capable of providing for us, and He knows what we need. Now turn them upside down, and you have what I call The Grand Lie:
“God can’t help me, and besides, He doesn’t really care about me!”
There it is. The battle concerns God’s capability and His care. When worry takes over, we can begin living as though God is powerless or uninvolved—even when we know better. Our circumstances start speaking louder than His promises. Worry shrinks God—not in reality, but in the crucial battlefield of the mind. And what happens in our minds often shows up in our lives, whether we realize it or not. It is as if we are carrying around a sign saying, “My God is a puny God.”
But we don’t have to let worry dictate what we believe about God. We have alternatives.
Alternative One: Act
If there’s something you can actually do to improve the situation, by all means do it. Taking action can redirect your attention away from worry—and may well improve your circumstances.
Alternative Two: Seek God
One of my favorite Bible stories is found in 2 Chronicles 20. In the story found there, King Jehoshaphat hears that a huge confederacy of armies is approaching Jerusalem. His response? “He turned his attention to seek the LORD.” (v. 3) This means more than just a quick “help me” prayer. He sought God. Desperate situations call for drastic action, and Jehoshaphat called for a nationwide fast and gathered the people to seek God.
One of the reasons we get so anxious is because we haven’t shut everything else out in order to seek Him. It is a two-phase action: Shut everything else out, then seek Him. Don’t look anxiously about you. Don’t spend all your energy rehearsing your worries with others. You can leverage the entire process by taking that same energy and channeling it toward seeking God. Worriers are so close to having it right; they just need to redirect their energy. But it starts with a shift in focus.
Alternative Three: Look Around
If we’re not careful, we’ll miss a key strategy in countering worry that is found back in Matthew 6. Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air” (v. 26) and “Look at the lilies of the field” (v. 28). Since this was an outdoor sermon, He was probably pointing as He was speaking. Here is what He is saying: “God has placed evidence all around you that He is capable, and that He is caring. Open your eyes, look around, and see for yourself!”
In the narratives of the Bible, the word behold is often a key word. It usually moves the camera angle to something new, to a different vantage point. In many cases, it points to the activity or the provision of God. Example: In Exodus 16, God’s people are complaining about a lack of food, so He provides manna for them so that they can eat in the wilderness. In Exodus 16:14, we read, “when the layer of the dew evaporated, behold! On the surface of the desert there was a fine flake-like thing . . .” So what is happening here? This “behold” moment directs their attention away from their present hunger and toward God’s provision for that very hunger.
And this is just what we need when we are tempted to worry—a diversion, a “behold!” God has put reminders of His care all around you. Think of all the jams you were in before, and you’re still alive! Think of how faithful He has always been to meet your basic needs. How soon we forget. Take just two minutes to survey the scene around you. Lift up your eyes and behold!
Behold the Truth
Perhaps the most important thing to behold when we are worried is the Bible itself. Years ago, I heard a visiting pastor share a story that I will not soon forget. He was making a hospital call, visiting a woman who was frantic with worry before her surgery. He told her what the Bible said. No change in response. He reminded her of certain biblical principles. Still no change. Then he got his Bible out and actually began to read it. All that talk about the Bible had changed nothing, but when she actually heard the Bible, she completely settled down. She needed more than a diversion. She needed the truth.
That is the power of the truth, and it is only the truth that will counteract the lies about God’s capability and His care. If you are overcome with worries right now, pick up the Bible until the truth begins to push back against the lie. Give God’s Word room to redirect your thoughts toward His capability and His care.
Times like this will test us, but we have the truth close by, closer than we know. We don’t have to give in to worry. We don’t have to let lies run our lives.
We have options. Let’s use them.
Which Do You Need Most?
When you are tempted to worry, which of these three alternatives—acting, seeking God, or looking around for evidence of His faithfulness—do you most need to put into practice? Why?
For me, I think “Look Around” may be the one I most need to remember. Worry has a way of narrowing my field of vision until the problem is almost all we can see. I need those “behold!” moments that redirect my attention to the evidence of God’s care and capability that is already around me.
Sometimes I don’t need new evidence that God is faithful. I just need to notice the evidence that is already all around me.