By Michael Mooney, NACM Exec. Elder
2 Steps to Unfriending Worry
Most people do not need anyone to explain what worry feels like. You already know. Something happens that you cannot control, and your mind immediately begins rehearsing possibilities. What if this happens? What if that goes wrong? What if I cannot fix it? Before long, you are mentally living through circumstances that have not even happened!
There is an important difference between ordinary worry and an anxiety disorder that may require professional care. This article is not intended to diagnose or treat mental illness. Instead, we are considering the ordinary worries of everyday life: finances, relationships, family concerns, work, ministry, health concerns, decisions, and circumstances that are largely outside our control.
So, what does the Bible say about worry? Scripture does not merely tell us to stop worrying and leave us wondering what to do next. Philippians 4:6-7 replaces worry with a specific course of action. The passage directs us away from anxious preoccupation and toward prayer, thanksgiving, and confidence in God.
Philippians 4:6-7 God’s Word Translation
Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks.
Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.
2 Steps to Unfriending Worry
Step 1: Realize the True Circumstances
Worry often grows from our desire to control an outcome that does not belong to us. We think through every possibility, replay conversations, imagine consequences, and try to mentally solve circumstances before they happen. The problem is that worry can give us the illusion that continued thinking somehow increases our control. In reality, there are limits to what any of us can control.
This is where trusting God instead of worrying becomes more than a religious slogan; more than the simple words of advice to “just put it in the Lord’s hands.” Trust begins when you recognize the difference between what God has given you responsibility to do and what remains in His hands. You should make wise decisions, fulfill your responsibilities, and take appropriate action. But after you have done what you can faithfully do, worry cannot accomplish what remains.
Fear can exploit our desire to remain in control. We begin placing greater confidence in our own thoughts and emotions than in the God who stands over our circumstances. In that sense, surrendering control to God is not passivity. It is acknowledging reality: God is God, and we are not.
Step 2: Bring Your Concerns to God
Philippians 4 does not tell you to pretend that your concerns are unimportant. It tells you what to do with them. Bring them to God. If you have wondered how to give your worries to God, Paul describes a practical response: prayer, petition, and thanksgiving.
a. Petitioning: Tell God specifically what concerns you. Ask for His wisdom, provision, direction, and will. Prayer turns worry into a conversation with the One who actually has authority over the circumstances.
b. Praising and giving thanks: Remember what God has already done. Thanksgiving reminds you that the present problem is not the first circumstance through which God has carried you. Prayer and thanksgiving redirect your attention from everything that might go wrong to the faithfulness of the One you are trusting.
The Outcome: Peace Before the Circumstances Change
Notice the order in Philippians 4:6-7. Paul does not say that God will first remove the problem and then give you peace. He says to bring your concerns to God with thanksgiving, then the peace of God will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus. The circumstances may not immediately change, but your relationship to those circumstances can.
That is one of the most important Bible lessons about worry. Peace does not require you to know exactly what is going to happen. It requires confidence in the One who does. When worry begins to take control of your thoughts, recognize what belongs to you, surrender what does not, and bring the whole matter before God. You may discover that the way to unfriend worry is not to gain more control, but to place your confidence somewhere better.
References
“Mental Disorders,” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
