Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:34
Yesterday, we started talking about worry, and the first step we can take to conquer the temptation to worry when life gets stressful and overwhelming. Today, I want to give you two more steps you can take to win the battle over worry.
The first step I gave you in yesterday’s devotion was to put yesterday’s worry in its proper place. The second step is to put today’s worry in its proper position. When Jesus talks about worry, He obviously is not talking about yesterday because yesterday is gone. He is talking about today because worry is always primarily about today. So, the question is, “Why should I not worry today?”
Jesus knew that just saying “Don’t worry” won’t stop you from worrying. He gives us just two simple illustrations to prove that you can depend on God to take care of today. He says, “Just look outside your window.” He talks about the birds and the flowers and how they’ve never worried for a single day, and God has taken care of them. And, if God takes care of them, how much more will He take care of you, His children? That’s a comfort we can rest in today, rather than letting worry overtake us in the present.
Additionally, there is one final step we can take to overcome worry, and that is to put tomorrow’s worry in its proper perspective. The word “worry” comes from the Old English word “Wyrgan,” and it literally means “strangle.” That is a good word for it because worry doesn’t take the sorrow out of tomorrow; it just chokes the joy out of today.
You can’t change the past, but you can ruin a perfectly good present by worrying about the future. Mark Twain once said, “I have been through some terrible things in my life which never happened.” Isn’t that true for all of us?
There are two days you should never worry about – yesterday and tomorrow. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never get here. Today is in your imagination and tomorrow is in your dreams. God has never promised He will give you strength for today AND tomorrow; He gives you strength just for today because it has enough trouble of its own. My hope is that you rest in that truth today.
Dear Lord, thank you for the reminder that worrying will get me nowhere, but trusting in you will take me so far. I pray that you would help me with the power of your Holy Spirit to overcome the temptation to worry and that instead I will look to you for peace and hope that you have everything taken care of and that you’re always looking out for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Topics: Worry
