Whipping Worry With Good News

“Learn more; worry less,” advised Jim Rohn on a facebook post. Then he offered this insight by Paul J. Meyer, “More damage is done by worrying than by what is being worried about. This is because over 90% of all worries never come to pass.”

So, how do you whip worry?

This scriptural counsel from the Temple Terrace Church of Christ facebook page  is worthy of your serious consideration.

Sometimes the punches just keep coming, don’t they?

I think we all know what it feels like to be overwhelmed by bad news, obstacles, and unexpected twists and turns that come with life. We all know what it feels like to feel downhearted or in low spirits. I also think it’s important to make clear that just because you feel that way doesn’t mean you’ve done something wrong. Don’t assume that just because you’re “down” it means that you’ve disappointed Jesus. The Bible is full of downhearted faithful people. Life IS hard.

Worry can have the same effect on us. Solomon speaks to that in Proverbs 12:25, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down…” We know that feeling too, don’t we? Cares and concerns about the future or things out of control can dishearten us and break our spirits. It’s worth mentioning that one of these is not like the other. Feeling down about the bad breaks you’ve experienced is something God understands and something with which He sympathizes, but letting worry interfere in your life is dangerous and ought to be avoided at all costs.

Despite the difference between those two, the cure is the same. Listen to what else Solomon says in Proverbs 12:25, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad.” You know what lifts up the downhearted? Good news!

Good news is the cure for anxiety. That’s true in a “surface-level” kind of way. If I’m worried about my family while traveling, then hearing the good news of a safe landing eases my worries. I think it’s also true on a deeper level. I’m not sure Solomon understood the deep spiritual implications of what he was writing when he pens the words of Proverbs 12:25, but they are there, nonetheless.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news, and it is the kind of news that is so good when we allow ourselves to ruminate on it, the anxiety weighing on our hearts dissipates. You might want to worry about your job, your house, your education, your health, your country, etc. etc. etc. but Jesus has given you hope that nothing in this world can touch. “You have died and your life has been hidden in Christ” (Colossians 3:3), how can worry stand against news that good!?

Well, the Gospel is Good News! Get into the Word. Focus on the Kingdom. Seek God’s Righteousness. Pray to Him who sees, hears and cares about your problems. And follow Jesus’ advice as paraphrased by The Message.

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes” (Matt. 6:34).

Finally, let’s all resolve to decrease the amount of bad news we share and be bearers of good news.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman