When Worry Becomes an Idol

Worry exchanges control for captivity. When worry grows larger than our worship, it quietly competes for the place only God deserves. Discover how Scripture calls us to exchange anxious striving for lasting peace by trusting the One who faithfully holds both today and tomorrow. Listen as Bible Teacher and Evangelist, Jane Morin shares the deep truths of God's word and how to release all worry in your life once and for all.

Transcript

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Welcome to Selah and Psalms, a place where you can pause, reflect, and find hope. And now, here is your host, award-winning author, Bible teacher, and evangelist Jane Morin.

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Hi friends, today I'm going to share with you when worry becomes an idol. In 1 Peter 5 7, it reads, Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Now, if worrying burned calories, most of us would have six-pack abs. Instead, it usually just burns up our peace, our joy, and offers in return wasted time. We've all done it. We replay conversations that haven't happened, prepare for disasters that never arrive, and mentally rehearse speeches we'll never have to give. We become Olympic athletes in the sport of what if? What if I fail? What if they leave? What if I don't have enough? What if everything falls apart? And then after carrying all those imaginary suitcases around for hours, we're exhausted and not a single one contained anything that was actually real. Worry becomes an idol when it becomes bigger than your worship. That doesn't mean a worried Christian loves God less. It means our fears have quietly climbed onto a throne that belongs to God alone. Whatever occupies your thoughts the most often shapes your faith the deepest. Worship says God is greater. Worry whispers, maybe he isn't this time. An idol isn't always carved from stone. Sometimes it's carved from endless mental rehearsals and sleepless nights. Regardless, there is one thing for sure. Worry promises control while delivering only captivity. Have you ever wondered what Jesus had to say about any of this? Jesus spent a surprising amount of time talking about worry. In Matthew 6.27, he said, can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? That's a Savior's gentle way of asking. How's all that worrying working out for you? Not only does worry fail to solve tomorrow's problems, it steals today's joy. Worry is similar to me using my stationary bike. Oh, there's plenty of miles stacking up on the odometer, but in reality, I'm not going anywhere. If traveling the world by bike is my goal, then there is absolutely no progress. I love how birds have a better theology than mankind. Jesus pointed his listener toward birds, not scholars. He did not point to kings or financial planners either. He simply mentions birds. In Matthew 6.26, Jesus said, Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Imagine two sparrows perched on a fence. One says, I'm worried we're going to run out of worms. The other replies, I don't think so. I heard our father owns the whole earth. Now imagine the first sparrow opening a tiny spreadsheet and calculating his worm inventory through the next Thursday. Ridiculous, perhaps. Yet we often do the human version of this every day. When worry arises, our worship should rise up too. Did you know that worship in itself shrinks the giant of worry? The more you magnify God, the smaller your worries become. Trusting God does not obliterate or make your problems disappear. Oh no, friends. For instance, David still faced Goliath, Daniel still entered the lion's den. Paul still sat in a prison cell. However, they all refuse to give fear the final word. Worship changes the size of the one you're looking at. If you stare at the waves long enough, you'll sink like Peter did. If you keep your eyes on Christ, you'll discover that storms don't have the final authority over your life. When you worry over unexpected changes or crises, try remembering this truth. God has never once looked at your situation and said, Well, I didn't see that coming. God has never needed a backup plan or held an emergency meeting in heaven either. He's never had to search out for an answer that he didn't already possess. Isn't it comforting to know that the one who names every star also knows your address? The very God who feeds the birds has not forgotten about your refrigerator. After all, he knows the number of hairs on your very head. I'm going to ask you to do something that may be scary if you like being in control of everything, and that is to lay your worry down. The greatest invitation in Scripture isn't merely to believe God exists, it's to trust Him enough to let go. Every worry you're carrying is one more thing Jesus already offered to carry for you. Maybe you're questioning what God truly thinks of you. Let me encourage you, friend, the cross settled forever whether God loves you, and the empty tomb settled for all eternity whether He has power. So perhaps today's greatest act of worship isn't another song. Perhaps it's simple surrender. That means laying down the burden by releasing your tomorrow. None of us is promised tomorrow, so why should we take the burden of worry with us into the sunrise of the next day? God is already with you today and in your tomorrow. The truth is that worry kneels before tomorrow and worship kneels before God. So as I sum up the best way to keep this truth before you, let me remind you what the Word of God encourages all of us to do, and that is to choose your altar wisely. Selah!