Mountain Message: Do Not Worry
By Greg Russell | Renovate Church—Centennial, CO
As we continue our Mountain Message series through the Sermon on the Mount, we come to a title that feels almost audacious in its directness: Do Not Worry.
Looking at Matthew 6:25–34, Jesus speaks straight to the core of human anxiety. He tells His listeners not to worry about their lives, what they will eat or drink, or what they will wear. He points to the birds of the air, which God feeds, and the flowers of the field, which God clothes in greater beauty than Solomon in all his splendor.
When you see the word therefore at the start of verse 25, as always you have to ask what it’s there for. Jesus had just instructed His followers not to store up earthly treasures, but to lay up treasures in Heaven. Therefore, because your treasure is secured in Heaven, you don’t need to live gripped by fear over the things of this earth.
What Is Your Worry?
In 1st-century Judea, people worried about literal survival—food, water, and clothing. Today, while basic needs are largely met in our context, there’s still plenty to worry about:
- Health concerns and medical diagnosis
- Financial stability and future security
- Family challenges and relationships
- What others think of us
We often try to justify our anxiety by mistaking it for responsibility. But worry is not diligence. Diligence takes wise action; worry takes on an unrealistic burden to control things you simply cannot control. Worry does not add a single hour to your life—it only drains the peace from the hour you are in.
The Illusion of Control & “Practical Atheism”
Many theologians describe worry as practical atheism. When we worry, we are essentially practicing unbelief. That’s an insult to God! It’s not that He gets offended in a petty way; rather, like a loving parent watching a child terrified of an imaginary monster under the bed, God hates what worry does to us.
God has infinite knowledge and total authority. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and completely good. Worrying acts as if God is absent or unable to handle what lies ahead.
Faith doesn’t mean you will never face trouble—even Jesus suffered. But faith says, “God’s got us.”
“I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future… will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 8:38–39
How to Practice Trust Over Worry
You cannot stop worrying simply by trying real hard not to worry. You have to actively replace thoughts of fear with truth.
1. Ride the Updrafts (Wait on the Lord)
Isaiah 40:31 tells us that “those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up on wings like eagles.”
Eagles don’t constantly flap their wings to stay aloft; they catch vertical wind updrafts. They make subtle micro-adjustments with their wings and tail to let the wind carry them. The pressures and storms of life will blow, but through micro-choices of faith, we can allow those very pressures to lift us higher instead of tearing us down.
Worry is waiting for trouble to happen; faith is waiting on the Lord with expectation for goodness. Don’t borrow trouble from a future that may never arrive.
2. Trade Whispers of Worry for the Silence of Prayer
The enemy often speaks in subtle whispers in the quiet hours of the night, planting seeds of doubt. He takes advantage of tired minds and lack of distraction to drive us towards despair. But God speaks in the quiet, too. Elijah found God not in the wind, earthquake, or fire, but in a gentle whisper on Mount Horeb; We need solitude and silence to hear the Holy Spirit.
When negative thoughts enter your mind, take control of your focus:
- Identify the lie: Pay attention to what your thoughts are actually running toward.
- Speak Scripture to your soul: Use the Sword of the Spirit to replace worry with truth.
- Turn anxiety into prayer: As Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6–7, bring everything to God with thanksgiving.
When you surrender your concerns to Him, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
You don’t have to be a victim of your own thoughts. Next time anxiety tries to take the wheel, speak to your own soul: Why so downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God.