December 28th: How to Whip Worry

In the uneasy space between holidays, the call is clear: worry cannot add life or peace. Drawing from Matthew 6, the teaching presses into the heart of anxiety—not by minimizing real concerns, but by exposing what worry is and what it does. Worry, at its core, is a strangling of the present by the uncertainty of the future. It feeds on the suspicion that God’s goodness might run out. Jesus’ images of birds and flowers insist otherwise: if the Father sustains what is lesser, He will certainly care for those who are more valuable. Worry is not merely unhelpful; it is unproductive. It never adds an hour; it only steals them.

Three clarifying truths emerge. First, worry is practical atheism: living as if God will stop being good, even if one would never say that aloud. Second, worry is the facade of action: it masquerades as responsible planning, but it simply drains the soul and distracts from faithful presence. Third, worry thrives where faith is small. Like the disciples in the storm, fear grows when there is a gap between what one faces and the level of faith present; that gap is where worry lives.

The way forward is singular and simple, yet deeply practical: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Seeking first is not about increasing a “religious” slice of life; it is about placing Jesus at the center so that every slice—work, family, finances, rest, friendships, hobbies—flows through His priorities. “First” does not mean “most”; it means “central.” When He is first in each sphere, He Himself reorders the pie. Priorities change not by white-knuckled effort, but by willing submission to His governance in the present moment. This begins in the mind: new thinking shapes new attitudes, which naturally form new behaviors.

The invitation is daily and doable: make Him first today. Then, if tomorrow comes, make Him first again. In this rhythm, the gap between circumstance and faith closes, worry loses oxygen, and joy returns to the present. Communion becomes the fitting response—remembering that Jesus sought the Father’s will first, removing the ultimate worry of sin and securing the confidence that He will care for every lesser need.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Worry doubts God’s ongoing goodness. Worry grows from the quiet suspicion that divine care has limits. Jesus counters this with creation itself—birds fed, fields clothed—as living arguments for the Father’s faithful provision. Believers are of greater value; therefore, distrust is both unnecessary and corrosive. Trust doesn’t ignore need; it anchors it in God’s character. [10:18]
• 2. Worry masquerades as responsible action. Anxiety feels like doing something, yet it adds nothing and subtracts time, clarity, and presence. Planning is wise; fretting is wasteful. Jesus’ question is surgical: if worry cannot add an hour, why pay it with hours you cannot recover? Wisdom acts; worry only spirals. [12:07]
• 3. Little faith enlarges the worry gap. When faith should be abundant but is small, fear fills the space between circumstance and confidence. Jesus can be “in the boat” and still seem asleep, but His presence remains certain. Closing that gap is not bravado; it is a return to trust in the One who still calms storms. [17:53]
• 4. Seek first: bring today under His reign. The remedy is not abstract: prioritize His kingdom in the present situation. Begin with thinking—His ways, His values—so attitudes and actions follow. Faith rises to meet the moment when His rule is welcomed here and now. [20:39]
• 5. Make Jesus the center, not a category. “First” doesn’t mean expanding the church slice; it means Jesus at the hub of every slice. With Him central, He adjusts the proportions as He wills, producing peace rather than pressure. This results in freedom, not fragmentation. [33:16]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:59] - Holiday disruption and the pull to worry
• [01:48] - Naming future-focused anxieties
• [04:34] - Reading Matthew 6 in our context
• [07:39] - Necessities, backpacking, and God’s care
• [10:18] - Birds and flowers: arguments for trust
• [12:07] - Worry as fake productivity
• [15:23] - The storm narrative and little faith
• [17:53] - The faith–worry gap explained
• [20:39] - Seek first: the practical remedy
• [28:04] - “First” doesn’t mean “most”
• [30:22] - Life as a pie: common slices
• [33:16] - Jesus at the center of everything
• [35:24] - Daily practice: making Him first today
• [38:15] - Communion and response to grace

Bible reading

Matthew 6:25-34

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 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. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 6:25-34, what everyday needs does Jesus name, and what reasons does He give for why His followers should not worry about them?
2. In verse 27, what simple question does Jesus ask, and what does that reveal about the “productivity” of worry?
3. The word “worry” was described as meaning “to strangle.” How does that picture help explain what worry does to the present moment? [04:34]
4. In the storm account that was recalled, what was Jesus doing, what did the disciples fear, and what term did Jesus use to describe their faith before He calmed the storm? [15:23]

Interpretation questions

1. If the Father feeds birds and clothes flowers, and people are “much more valuable,” what does that imply about God’s heart toward His children when the future feels uncertain (Matthew 6:26-30)?
2. Why can worry be called “practical atheism”—living as if God will stop being good—even when a person would never say that out loud? [04:34]
3. In what ways does anxiety masquerade as responsible action, and how does Jesus’ question in Matthew 6:27 expose that lie? [12:07]
4. How is “seek first” best understood as making Jesus central in every slice of life rather than just increasing a “church slice”? What different outcomes might those two approaches produce? [33:16]

Application questions

1. Name one worry that is strangling your ability to enjoy today. What future “what if” is feeding it, and what would it look like to entrust that specific thing to the Father before you go to bed tonight? [04:34]
2. Where do you tend to confuse worry with being responsible (finances, kids, health, work)? What wise plan can you write down this week—and then what part will you refuse to ruminate on because it “adds no hour”? [12:07]
3. Identify one situation where the gap between what you face and your current level of faith feels wide. What simple step could help close that gap this week (a prayer in the moment, a small act of obedience, asking for help)? [17:53]
4. Pick one slice of your life pie (work, family, hobby, friendships, finances). What is one concrete way you will put Jesus at the center of that slice for the next seven days (a practice to add, a boundary to set, a conversation to have)? [33:16]
5. Since “He only has to be first today,” what five-minute morning rhythm will help you seek His kingdom first each day this week (Scripture, a short prayer of surrender, a simple question: “Lord, what do You want first here?”)? [35:24]
6. Look back over the past week. Where did you see “birds and flowers” moments—small provisions, timely help, or beauty you didn’t create? How will you capture those reminders (journal, note on your phone) to fight tomorrow’s worries? [10:18]