Word Studies

Worry

I. Understanding the Word:
A. It is odd to write about understanding the word worry, because humans do not have to be taught to worry.
1. In fact, in all of God’s creation, it seems humans are the only ones that worry. (Matthew 6:25, 28)
"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? (Matthew 6:25)
"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
(Matthew 6:28)
2. Perhaps more interesting is that if you look up the English word worry in your old Kings James Version, American Standard Version, or your newer English Standard Version, you will not find it.
B. There are several New Testament words and phrases to denote the concept we call worry:
1. Merimna – “to be anxious, to care for, care anxiety”;
2. Ochleo – “to disturb, trouble”;
3. Melo — “”to be an object of care”;
4. Promerimnao – “to be anxious beforehand”.
5. The Hebrew word atsab includes the idea of “to hurt or to grieve”.
C. A Definition of Worry:
1. To give way to anxiety or unease; allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles.
a. To harass by pursuit and barking; to attack repeatedly; also, to tear or mangle with the teeth.
b. To harass or beset with importunity, or with care an anxiety; to vex; to annoy; to torment; to tease; to fret; to trouble; to plague.
c. To harass with labor; to fatigue.
d. To feel or express undue care and anxiety; to manifest disquietude or pain, to be fretful; to chafe; as, the child worries; the horse worries.
2. From these definitions, we see that “bad” worry is much more than just a mentally challenging emotion, but it can also cause hurt.
3. Worry can feel like being pursued by a vicious dog and attacked repeatedly; it brings fatigue and pain.
4. While in our culture the word always seems to be used in the negative sense, we do not need to overlook that there is a positive “worry” in the Scriptures.
5. It is the deep concern and care for another’s state, or over one’s own soul.

II. In Reading the Word:
A. Matthew 6:25-34 is perhaps the most famous of text on worry.
1. No verse has more shaped most modern Christians’ thinking about worry than this one.
2. In this text the Lord points out that worry over temporal matters (food, clothing, etc.) is destructive.
3. First, it is also unhelpful (you can’t add one minute to your life or one inch to your height by worrying about it.)
4. Worry exaggerates your problems.
5. It just makes your problems seem bigger and bigger.
6. To worry about something you can’t change is useless.
7. To worry about something you can change is foolish, just change it!
8. Worry is unhealthy.
9. The body is not made to worry; it is unnatural.
10. Jesus says look at the lilies, they’re beautiful without worry, and so are we.
11. When you worry, you get ulcers, backaches, headaches, or insomnia.
12. Our English word worry actually has its roots in an old High German word meaning “to strangle or to choke”.
13. The only thing that worries in all God’s creation is people.
B. In Luke 10:41:
1. Martha is not condemned for worrying but instead is instructed to be more concerned about spiritual matters than the physical ones.
C. We see in Philippians 2:19-28 that worry can be positive even encouraging in its proper place.
1. The ESV translates the Greek term merimna as concern.
D. In the introduction of Saul in 1 Samuel 9:1-20, we find him obeying his father’s instructions looking for some lost donkeys.
1. The search takes longer than anticipated and Saul in verse 5 suggest returning home, “Lest my father ceases to care about the donkeys and becomes anxious about us” (vs 5).
2. The servant instructs Saul to go to the man of God in a nearby city who can “tell us the way we should go” (v6).
3. When we worry, we would do well to consult with God’s people.
E. Paul in Philippians 4:4-7 presents the beautiful solution to our worries.
1. We have the What:
a. Rejoice, don’t worry (vs 4),
2. the How:
a. think about the healthy things (vs 8-9),
3. and the Why:
a. so that God can bring peace into your life (vs 7).

III. Preaching the Word:
A. Object Lesson:
1. Dale Jenkins stated that in a turbulent point in his life, worry, anxiety, was getting to an unhealthy when he spotted a small translucent stone in a bookstore with Philippians 4:6 written on it.
2. He bought it and put it in his pocket.
3. Every time he started to worry, he would reach into his pocket and be reminded of that verse.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; (Philippians 4:6)
4. You might consider giving everyone a “worry” rock for Christmas reminders of - Philippians 4:4-7.
B. Preaching Thought:
1. A good sermon title might be “We need to Worry More”
2. Our common use of the word worry seems to always focus on the negative.
3. Have you ever heard someone say, “He was worried and thought it was a positive sign?”
4. To “not worry” does not indicate a lack of concern, interest, even trepidation (“I am worried about this test, my child, the condition of our country”).
5. This is beautifully illustrated in Philippians 2:19-28.
6. Here we can see the positive and encouraging use of the word worry.
7. The ESV translates the Greek merimnao as concern.
8. In this beautiful scrolling text, you have Paul sending the uniquely caring Timothy to the Philippians to make sure they are doing well, the ensuing report cheered Paul and sated his worry.
9. Paul is worried (concerned) about them because they have heard that Epaphroditus, their minister, is ill.
10. The Philippians had sent Epaphroditus to Paul to help him out, but he had gotten sick.
11. But Epaphroditus is more concerned about the fact that the Philippians are concerned for him than about his own illness (though it is very severe).
12. The Philippians need to see that he is better, which in turn will cause Paul to be “less anxious”.
13. It is a beautiful circle of four – Timothy, Epaphroditus, the church at Philippi, and Paul – each outdoing the other in concern about not thier own affairs but the joy of others.
C. Quote:
1. “Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, faith looks up”. Ralph Waldo Emerson
D. Illustration:
1. As told by Alan Smith’s “Thought for the Day”.
2. The story is told of a young man who was fresh out of business school.
3 He was looking for a job and saw an ad in the newspaper for a small business needing an accountant.
4. So he answered the “ad” and ended up going for an interview with this very nervous man who was running this small business, that he had started himself.
5. The man said, “I need someone with an accounting degree”.
6. But mostly I’m looking for someone to do my worrying for me”.
7. The young man said, “Excuse me? I’m afraid I don’t understand”.
8. The owner said, “I worry about a lot of things, but I don’t want to have to worry about money.
9. Your job will be to take all the money worries off my back”.
10. The young fellow said, “OK, I understand, how much does the job pay?
11. The owner said, “I’ll start you at eighty thousand a year.”
12. The young man was blown away.
13. He said, “eighty thousand dollars!” How can such a small business afford a salary like that?”
14. The owner said, “That is your first worry!”.

IV. Giving up Control Hebrews 13:5-6
A. Joseph Stalin suffered from a paralyzing fear.
1. Power did not provide him with freedom from worry.
2. He had several different bedrooms that he switched between for sleeping, in order to fool any assassin.
3. He drove with five different limousines with the windows covered by curtains.
4. A special servant of his even protected Stalin’s teabags to endure that no one poisoned them.
B. Peace and freedom from worry are not found in a sense of self-sufficiency.
1. Our pursuit of “having things together,” power, money, job, security, etc. is a fruitless effort to achieve release from worry.
2. So long as our effort to find peace rely on us as the means of that, we will always be subject to disappointment and fear because none of our possessions, positions, or power are stable or guaranteed to last.
3. True peace and security is found in accepting and embracing what little power we have so that we will give ourselves more fully to God’s unfailing power and control.
C. If the ideal circumstances we try to create for ourselves, in order to reach a point of no worry were actually effective, then men like Joseph Stalin with all his money, power, and influence would’ve been at ultimate peace.
1. But if stories like his prove anything:
2. It is that external circumstances are no match for the internal attitude of faith
3. Faith that produces perseverance even in the worst of circumstances.
D. It has often been said:
1. “Safety consists not in the absence of danger, but in the presence of God.”
2. This is inline with the words of Hebrews 13:5-6, which encourages us not to rely on money (which can stand for all other forms of false security we may seek) but rather on the fact that God will never leave or forsake us.
3. Even in death God will bring us home.
4. The peace that Jesus offers most is ultimately based in the hope of Heaven.
5. In Christ, because of eternal peace, we can have internal peace, in spite of any lack of external peace we may face.
6. We should think about the self-sufficient means we may be using to create freedom from worry on our own and pray that God will give us the strength to embrace His ability to give us what we really need.

V. Heightened Awareness Philippians 4:6-7
A. George Adam Smith tells about a time where he and his guide were climbing in the Swiss Alps.
1. It was very stormy.
2. When they reached the summit, Smith rose up in excitement, forgetting about the winds.
3. He was nearly blown over the edge.
4. The guide grabbed Smith and said: “On your knees, sir. You are not safe there, except on your knees!”
B. This is what Paul is trying to convey to the Philippians when he writes to them about the safety of their hearts being guarded by giving “all of our worries” to God.
1. In difficult times, the safest path to perseverance is on our knees in constant prayer.
C. At the base of the brain stem, we have a cluster of nerve cells called the reticular activating system.
1. This system of cells creates new mental categories in our brains for things that we bring to our conscious attention.
2. For example, when we buy a new shirt or car, it seems as though everyone is wearing that shirt and driving that car.
3. The same amount of people were wearing and driving it before.
4. But now that we have bought those things to our conscious attention, the reticular activating system creates a new mental category for them where we will now begin to notice what was actually already there.
D. This has major spiritual implications for prayer.
1. God gave us our brains and created us this way.
2. Because of this property of the mind, prayer helps to change our perspective on daily life.
3. Daily prayer, especially that which begins the day focuses us for the day, sets the tone for how we will view our encounters, puts our minds in a position of reliance on God, and puts us on the outlook for Him working in our lives.
4. When we pray for God to give us opportunities and help us rely on Him, we create new mental categories that heighten our awareness to the things of God that we may have missed before.
5. Try to pray to God for open eyes to where He is working in our life in order that we may heighten our awareness of His worry-freeing presence.

VI. Worry or Concern? Matthew 6:25-34
A. Many words in the English language seem to contradict one another.
1. For example, why is there no egg in the eggplant or ham in the hamburger?
2. If the teacher taught, why didn’t the preacher praught?
3. Why do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
4. If a vegetarian eats vegetable, what does a humanitarian eat?
B. Here is an issue of words that is strange and confusing at times:
1. Is it the same to be concerned about something and to worry about it?
2. Paul is proud of the Philippians for showing concern for him (Philippians 4:10).
3. But Christ tells us not to be anxious (or worry) (Matthew 6:25, 34).
4. How do I know that I’m concerned but not worrying?
C. Have you ever worried about making a flight on time?
1. Should we be concerned and take steps to make it there promptly”
2. Yes! We should check the weather, monitor construction, and leave early.
3 But once we are on the road, we don’t need to let worry cause us to speed, behave poorly in the rain, or get angry at traffic.
4. Worry cannot make traffic move faster, stop the rain, or change construction.
5. So the main question in differentiating between concern and worry is: Is it productive?
6. Concern allows us to make proper preparations for the trip.
7. Worry does nothing to help or change the situation.
D. Christ certainly doesn’t want us to take His command not to worry about our provision and the future to the extreme of never planning anything.
1. But we also can’t go to the other extreme of leaving out faith in God while we attempt to plan more that is humanly possible and then worry about outcomes beyond our control.
2. Victor Hugo summed it up a good balance between the two: “Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones: and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.”
3. Ask yourself, “If I am tempted to worry, is it productive?
4. Ask and give prayer for God’s help in letting of worrisome thoughts those that don’t help or change the situation.

VII. Character and Long-Life Proverbs 3:5-6
A. A recent medial report reveals the results of research that examined 231,048 Australian adults age 45 and up after following then for 6 years.
1. Researchers revealed six factors that determine how long people live: smoking, alcohol use, diet, physical inactivity, sedentary behavior, and sleep.
B. None of that is rocket science, nor is it really surprising.
1. But another trait of long life that has been revealed by research is a bit more surprising: conscientiousness.
2. In Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin’s 2017 book “The Longevity Project”, the authors identified an association between being conscientious and long life.
3. They wrote, “The Conscientiousness scale combined four other characteristics that parents and teachers had rated: how prudent was the child, how conscientious, how truthful, and how free from vanity and egotism?”
C. These characteristics are all traits of the type of moral character that the Bible teaches.
1. So it shouldn’t be surprising to Christians that living conscientiously produces good results.
2. The reason why living a life of character leads to longer life is because it reduces one of the biggest causes of substance abuse, depression, and diseases: stress and worry.
3. It reduces worry because when we live a life of character and integrity, we don’t have to worry about watching our backs or covering our tracks.
4. We don’t have to deal with the extra stress it brings to our relationships, or the consequences of immoral choices.
D. Many times when we talk about not worrying, we are describing worrying about situations beyond our control.
1. However, many of our worries could be done away with by making choices of character in matters that are within our control.
2. Rather than trying to decide for ourselves, what is right and walking away from God’s commandments, trusting in Him for character will do just as Solomon says and “make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:6).
3. Making a path straighter and easier to walk will lead to less worry about the things we may find along the way.
Choose to make your outward actions match your inward convictions and pray for God to help us be a people of greater character and integrity today than we were yesterday.

VIII. Famine Faith Genesis 12:10-20
A. One of the most famous explorers of modern history is Scott of the Antarctic.
1. Sadly, Scott and his team died during their expedition.
2. But only recently have scientists begun to understand why.
3. It seems that they starved themselves to death while eating!
4. It sounds like nonsense, but it is not.
5. Nutritionists tell us that the average adult make needs to take in about 1500 to 2000 calories of chips and ice cream or other calories of food each day.
6. Scott and his team took in around twice that amount.
7. But it wasn’t enough for the activities they were involved in.
8. “Each of the polar explorers were burning nearly 7,000 calories a day hauling their sledges, it is estimated.”
9. The problem was that while they were eating, they were ignorant of their actual nutritional needs.
B. Abram finds himself in a similar situation in Genesis 12 during a famine, in which he should trust in God to provide for him, in the place that God has led him.
1. Abram goes to Pharaoh in Egypt for food rather than consulting and trusting in God.
2. But by reaching for and filling himself with the food of Egypt physically, Abram starves himself spiritually.
3. He drains himself of the faith while he fills himself with fear and self-sufficiency.
C. One of the greatest enemies of a life of faith is fear.
1. This narrative in Genesis 12 shows us how fear leads Abram to make an entire series of poor decisions, beginning with going to Egypt then lying to Pharaoh.
2. We often let fear overcome faith for the purpose of self-preservation in various famines we face: money, jobs, relationships, and even spiritual famines where we find ourselves distant from God.
3. Lack of resources and worry about being in need can drive us to panic and make decisions we never would have otherwise.
4. We can be sure that worry and fear will not remain isolated in just our thoughts.
5. If left unchecked, they will lead us to turn one sin into another.
6. Everyone needs to evaluate the famines they might be experiencing and be proactive in asking God to help us trust in His provisions for those experiences, rather than being reactive in fear.

By Gary D. Murphy

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