Click Here For Don’t Worry LEAD SHEET

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:34
Worry is something that is very real to most of us, and it’s no game. Today we’re going to talk about worry. Life is kind of like that game—there’s a ton of stuff coming at us and it can be hard to keep up. But worrying is not necessarily the right reaction.
The Bible talks about worrying quite a bit, each time in a negative way. Never once in Scripture is worrying condoned, advised, or honored.  As we’ll see, worry has no place in the Christian’s life.

We’re going to read a lot of Scriptures today. As we do, I want us to take note of what each verse says concerning worry. Ready? Here we go!

Read Matthew 6:25-34

1. What are some things Jesus says we should not worry about in verse 25? (Life, what we’ll eat/drink, our body, clothing)
2. What does Jesus say we are more valuable than that God takes care of? (Birds in verse 26, flowers in verse 28)
3. What is the answer to Jesus’ question in verse 27? (No one can)
4. What does Jesus say the worrier lacks in verse 30? (Faith)
5. Instead of worrying, what shall we do (see verse 33)? (Seek God’s kingdom)
6. Do you think verse 34 is a command or a suggestion? Why?

(These same verses are repeated in the Gospel of Luke, 12:22-31. Read this as an optional Scripture to verify the words of Christ.)

Worrying doesn’t do any of us any good. As we’ve seen in Matthew and in Luke, Jesus doesn’t want us to worry.

Read Proverbs 12:25

Here we have this statement from the wisest man to ever live, Solomon. Do you agree with it? Why/why not?

So Jesus tells us not to worry, and we know that worrying is bad. Furthermore, according to Scripture, we know that worrying doesn’t do us any good, it doesn’t add days to our lives, etc. But what should we do instead. The Bible talks about that, too.

Read Philippians 4:6

1. What does this verse say it is okay to worry/be anxious about? (Nothing)
2. Instead of being anxious, what should we do? (Pray)
3. What should our attitude be as we pray to God? (Thanksgiving)

When you are tempted to worry about something, our response should be prayer. If worrying is a lack of faith, then praying to God demonstrates faith.  But if you’re like me, sometimes that is easier said than done.

MAKING IT REAL

Life is hard. Sometimes, we lose focus. When we do, it’s easy to find ourselves in worry’s grip. While this isn’t what God wants, I believe that He understands where we are. But even today we can release worry and begin to trust God more. We can take God at His word and see change start to happen in our lives.

We’re going to do some creative praying today. I am going to be reading some passages from the Psalms. As I read, I want you to repeat the words I say in your own hearts. Hopefully, by the end of this exercise, we can really give God some of our worries.

But before we do that, we need to get real.

What do you worry about? I’m going to read from a list of common worries. Maybe one will strike a chord with you. Perhaps one will bring to mind something else that you are dealing with. Either way, take note of the things that you need to trust God more about:

— an important test/exam

— that your parents are going to split

— that a friend will betray you
— about a sick relative or friend
— that a boyfriend or girlfriend will dump you
— that your family has enough money
— that a certain person will reject you
— that you’ll have enough to eat
— that you’ll not make the team/squad
— that people will make fun of you
— that you’re not good enough for people
— that you’ll mess up
— that you’ll disappoint someone
— that you’re not good enough for God