Notes of Faith April 20, 2026
Pastor’s Pen Pulpit Series: “Worry”
August 11, 2002
“THE CURE FOR ANXIETY” Part II
Matthew 6:25-34
For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing. Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span?
Anxiety and worry are the bane of the age. We are living in a world that is heaving with anxiety causing problems. However the problems caused by anxiety and worry are greater than the problems that cause the anxiety and worry!
Worry is subtle. It starts small and gradually takes over your entire being. Worry has been defined as a small trickle of fear that meanders through the mind until it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.
In Matthew 6:25 the Lord Jesus admonished His disciples and us not to worry. Then He lists some things not to worry about such as food and clothing stating that life consists of more than that.
He enforces this by drawing our attention to the birds of the air. They do not sow nor reap nor gather into barns and yet the Heavenly Father feeds them. Then our Lord affirms that we are of much more value than the birds.
He then stresses a very important point in verse 27, “Who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” He is simply saying that we cannot grow when we worry. In fact, worry stunts our spiritual growth.
In Philippians 4:6-7 Paul tells us that we are not to worry about anything but to take our anxieties to the One that can do something about them and, in turn, His peace will “keep our hearts and minds.” This takes practice, folks!
At the end of his life Mark Twain reflected, “I have been young and now I am old. I have worried about a lot of things in my life – most of which never happened!”
In our next Pen Pulpit we are going to conclude our passage in Matthew 6. We will focus on the sure cure for anxiety. In the meantime, keep trusting God and have a happy and worry-free week! God bless.
In His matchless love,
Pastor Charles
Worry is like a rocking chair. (We have them, though they are rarely used!)
It will give you something to do but it won’t get you anywhere! But worry does cause pain and suffering in our bodies, illness that can even lead to death. Worry is a threat to living at peace and rest in Jesus. Let’s let go of worry. Trust the Lord for the issues of daily life. We will get through them to the other side and by His grace, safe, secure, and strengthened in faith!
Pastor Dale