Matthew 6:25-34 - Why Do You Worry?
Good evening, church family. It is so good to be here with you tonight. For those of you who haven’t met me yet, my name is Josh, and I’m one of the pastors here. I have the privilege of opening God’s Word with you tonight as we continue in our series, Questions That Jesus Asked. Tonight, we are going to look at the question, “Why do you worry?” from Matthew chapter 6. If you have your Bibles, you can begin turning there.
Anxieties About Anxiety
Growing up, my mom, Esther, absolutely loved the Peanuts comic strip. You remember Charlie Brown, Woodstock, Snoopy, and all the rest? We watched the cartoons all the time—the Great Pumpkin, the Charlie Brown Christmas special—and we read the comic strips in the newspaper. She even bought those little paperback books that compiled all the newspaper strips so you could sit and read them for hours.
In one of those comic strips, Charlie Brown is having a conversation with Linus. Charlie Brown says, “I worry about school a lot. I also worry about my worrying so much about school that my anxieties have anxieties.”
Have you ever felt like that? You think to yourself, If I could just stop worrying about the things I’m worrying about, maybe I’d be okay—but I can’t even stop doing that!
I want you to know tonight that the Lord knows about the things you are worried about. He cares about those things, and He is with you. You are not alone. It is vital for us to recognize that as we look at this question, we are stepping into something deeply connected to the heart of Christ and profoundly relevant to our daily lives.
In Matthew 6, we find ourselves right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, which spans chapters 5 through 7. In this sermon, Jesus lays bare the human condition. He exposes what is truly going on inside of us, making our desperate need for God’s grace crystal clear.
Here is how Jesus addresses our anxiety:
Matthew 6:25 (NASB)
’For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, [as to] what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, [as to] what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
The Modern Epidemic of Worry
In these verses, Jesus presents a combination of direct commands and penetrating questions. At the very core, He is addressing worry and anxiety. This was an immediate, visceral issue for the original audience two thousand years ago. Many of those listening literally wondered where their next meal would come from. They didn’t have backup clothes in a closet if their tunic wore out. They had no storage facilities, no pantries, and no refrigeration. We often speak today of people living paycheck to paycheck; they were literally living hand-to-mouth, day by day, just trying to survive.
Naturally, they carried heavy anxiety. But this issue is just as relevant to us today, isn’t it? We live in a culture saturated with worry. A Penn State University study found that among Americans heading into 2022, 84 percent were either extremely or very worried about the future. Over three out of four Americans—77 percent—reported being deeply worried about their financial future.
Beyond money and the future, our top worries include job security, relationships, physical health, what others think about us, and getting paralyzed by regrets over the past. Worry and anxiety manifest physically as well, leading to headaches, stomachaches, chronic fatigue, apathy, irritability, high blood pressure, depression, and sudden outbursts of temper.
In his book Margin, Dr. Richard Swenson wrote about the impact of modern progress on human stress:
“The spontaneous flow of progress is toward increasing stress: change, complexity, speed, intensity, and overload. All humans have physical, mental, emotional, and financial limits that are relatively fixed. The profusion of progress is on a collision course with human limits.”
He wrote those words over twenty-five years ago. How much truer are they today?
The technical definition of anxiety is a state of nervousness or unease, typically about an imminent event or an uncertain outcome. But another way to describe anxiety is that it is a thief of the present. We either regret the past or dread the future, and we fail to be fully present with the people and opportunities God has placed right in front of us.
Another description I’ve heard is that anxiety is imagining a future without Jesus in it—believing that you are completely on your own, facing what lies ahead in isolation. But Jesus tells us the exact opposite. He says, “Therefore,” or “For this reason, do not worry.”
A Matter of the Heart: What Are We Worshiping?
Whenever you see a phrase like “for this reason” or “therefore,” you have to ask what came right before it. What Jesus says in verse 25 is directly connected to the first twenty-four verses of Matthew chapter 6. In that opening section, Jesus describes what it looks like to search for meaning apart from God.
He points to the religious leaders, the Pharisees, who loved the praise of men more than the approval of God. They turned their spiritual disciplines into a public performance to impress others. They loved money and possessions more than people, allowing greed to dominate their hearts.
Jesus summarizes that section with a stark reality check:
Matthew 6:24 (NASB)
’No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Jesus is diagnosing the root cause of our worry. The anxiety He is addressing stems from our natural tendency to elevate the kingdom of self and the kingdom of this world above the kingdom of God. In reality, worry is a worship issue. The things we constantly obsess over reveal what our hearts are truly worshiping.
When we take lesser things—even good things—and turn them into ultimate things, the fruit we reap is worry and anxiety. Jesus reiterates this in Luke 12:
Luke 12:34 (NASB)
’For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
When the treasure of our heart shifts toward self-preservation and worldly security, anxiety inevitably increases. But when our hearts move toward the kingdom of God, our experience of His peace expands. As we examine this text, we must ask ourselves honestly: What do I trust in? Where do I place my hope? What am I worshiping?
Before we move further, I want to offer two vital pastoral clarifications.
First, this message is not about achieving the complete elimination of all anxiety in this life. Some people suggest that if you reach a certain level of spiritual maturity, you will never struggle with worry again. When someone tells me that, I simply don’t believe them! Scripture never promises that worry will vanish entirely. The Bible frequently addresses anxiety precisely because it remains a constant human struggle.
When we look at the heroes of faith in Scripture—in the Psalms, the Prophets, and the letters of Paul—we see real, visceral battles with stress and anguish. Even our Lord Jesus Christ, in His genuine humanity in the Garden of Gethsemane, sweated drops of blood and declared, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death.” Jesus understood the overwhelming weight of human sorrow. Anxiety will confront us, but God wants to teach us how to respond in ways that lead to life rather than death.
Second, for some of us, anxiety is a clinical and physiological issue that requires professional therapy and medical care. Years ago, I walked through a season of severe anxiety that led into clinical depression. I saw a Christian counselor who explained that I was dealing with exogenous depression—it was situational rather than chemical. He told me, “Josh, as long as you cling to the Lord and don’t make reckless choices, you will emerge from this.” By God’s grace, over time, I did emerge from that dark valley.
However, for others in this room, there is an endogenous, chemical imbalance. You cannot simply “snap out of it.” If that is your reality, please hear me: your chemistry is not your character. We live in a broken, fallen world, and sometimes our biological chemistry malfunctions. Seeking medical help or therapy is not a failure of faith.
I was speaking recently with a woman in our church who battles clinical anxiety. She said, “My medication doesn’t fix everything, but it levels the playing field so that I can submit my anxieties to the Lord.” Medication can be part of the journey of trusting God. In our darkest valleys, the Lord is extraordinarily tender. He does not condemn you. Yet, He still invites you to bring your heart to Him and wrestle with His truth.
You Are of Great Value to the Father
Let’s continue reading in Matthew 6:
Matthew 6:26-30 (NASB)
’Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and [yet] your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? ’And who of you by being worried can add a [single] hour to his life? ’And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ’But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is [alive] today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, [will He] not much more [clothe] you? You of little faith!
“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his lifespan? And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!”
The first truth Jesus establishes on this pathway to freedom is this: You are not alone. Your Heavenly Father knows your needs, and He cares deeply about what you are enduring.
Notice how Jesus uses two everyday illustrations to demonstrate our worth to God: birds and wildflowers. Birds still have to hunt for food; they don’t just sit on a branch waiting for birdseed to drop from heaven like manna. They work! As the old saying goes, the early bird gets the worm. But birds don’t maintain savings accounts, 401(k) plans, Bitcoin wallets, or deep freezers in the garage. They live day by day because God provides for them.
And consider the lilies of the field. They don’t shop at Stitch Fix, Lululemon, or the thrift store. Yet God clothes them with a beauty that surpasses Solomon, the wealthiest king in Israel’s history.
Jesus is not telling us to become passive like flowers or abandon our responsibilities like birds. His argument moves from the lesser to the greater: If God lavishly cares for short-lived plants and animals, how much more will He care for you, who are made in His image?
Jesus highlights this same comparison in Luke 12:
Luke 12:7 (NASB)
’Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”
In the ancient world, wild grass and dried flowers were gathered as fuel to start cooking fires—they were here today and burned tomorrow. Compared to eternal human souls, they are an afterthought.
When my oldest son, Noah, started driving during his senior year of high school, he would drive his younger brother, Sam, down Highway 99 to Edison High School. One afternoon, we got the dreaded phone call: they had been in a car accident. Noah was on the line saying, “Dad, I’m so sorry about the car!”
I immediately interrupted him: “Noah, we don’t care about the car! Are you okay? Is Sam okay? Is the other driver okay?” In that moment, the vehicle was completely irrelevant. All that mattered was the safety of my sons. Once we knew they were safe, sure, we assessed the damages and handled insurance—but the boys’ lives were of incomparably greater value than a piece of metal.
Jesus is saying the exact same thing to us: You are of infinite worth to your Father. You are the ones for whom Jesus died on the cross and rose again. If God cares for birds and flowers, He will certainly take care of you.
He continues driving this truth home in verses 31 and 32:
Matthew 6:31-32 (NASB)
’Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ ’For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”
When Jesus mentions “the Gentiles,” He is referring to those who live as if God does not exist—those who believe this material world is all there is. When someone believes this life is everything, it is entirely logical for them to obsess over wealth, status, and physical security.
Jesus is saying to us: If you know the living God, do not live like someone who doesn’t. Our culture constantly lures us into living by secular priorities. But our Father already knows what we need. He invites us to bring our anxieties to Him.
During the hot summer months, my wife, Chris, likes to open the doors early in the morning when the temperature is still cool to air out the house. The other morning, after finishing a workout, I heard a strange flapping noise. A bird had flown into our house through the open door and was trapped high up near our vaulted ceiling.
My son Gabe and I tried to help it find its way out. The bird flew toward a high stairwell window and began violently slamming its head against the glass—bang, bang, bang. We opened the front doors wide and yelled, “Get away from the window! The way out is down here!” Obviously, reasoning with a panicked bird didn’t work. Gabe handed me a broom, and I tried to gently guide the bird away from the glass. But it kept flying back, frantically bashing its head, losing feathers, its little chest heaving with extreme stress.
Eventually, I had to climb onto a chair with a pillowcase, trap the bird, carry it outside, and release it onto the lawn. It shot straight into the air and flew away—without so much as a thank-you!
I share that because so many of us live our lives just like that bird. Our Heavenly Father stands with wide-open doors, saying, “Turn to Me. Let Me help you. I have the wisdom and power you need.” But instead of turning to Him in prayer, we keep beating our heads against the glass of our circumstances. We obsess, we manipulate, we spiral, and we exhaust ourselves, using prayer only as a desperate last resort. God wants to set us free.
Seeking First the Kingdom
Jesus then provides the positive pathway to life and freedom:
Matthew 6:33-34 (NASB)
’But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ’So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
God is actively at work in our world, and He invites us to align our lives with His eternal kingdom. He calls us to abide in fellowship with Him so that He can transform us into the likeness of Christ from the inside out.
Yet the kingdom of this world constantly competes for our devotion. The world over-promises and under-delivers, leaving us hollow, exhausted, and discontent. The Apostle John describes this worldly pull:
1 John 2:16 (NASB)
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”
The world entices us with sex, status, and salary—luring us away through our passions, our pride, and our possessions.
Pastors are not immune to this struggle. Not long ago, I was reading through the Psalms during my personal devotional time, and I came across this promise:
Psalms 84:11 (NASB)
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
As I sat with that verse, I have to be honest: I struggled to believe it. I thought about faithful believers I know who seem to have good things withheld from them. Then I looked at my own life and began listing things I felt God was withholding from me.
In the past, I might have just felt guilty, rebuked myself, and moved on. But our pastoral team has been challenging each other to be radically honest with God. God already knows our doubts, so there is no point in hiding. I sat in silence and prayed, “Lord, I am reading Your Word right now, and I am struggling to believe this is true.”
As I quieted my heart, four clear questions came to my mind that I believe were prompted by the Holy Spirit:
- What do you think I am withholding from you?
- Why do you think I would withhold any good thing from you?
- Do you think you know better than Me what is best for your life?
- What do you truly long for, and why do you long for it?
I wrote those four questions down in my journal and returned to them the next day in prayer. When I answered the fourth question—What do you long for, and why?—here is what I wrote in my journal:
“I long for validation, fulfillment, and security. I want to be affirmed and thought highly of. I want to have all the material resources I need to feel completely safe.”
Are those desires inherently evil? Not necessarily. But are they ultimate things? Are they the kingdom of God? In that moment, the Holy Spirit lovingly exposed the subtle selfishness of my heart.
When the Holy Spirit convicts us, He never does it to shame us or leave us condemned. His conviction is always an invitation into redemption and something far better. I asked the Lord, “What are You actually calling me to long for?”
Scripture immediately flooded my mind. I am called to long to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I am called to love my neighbor as myself. I am called to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ and to walk in the good works prepared for me before the foundation of the world. I am called to be a disciple who abides with Jesus, helping others grow in their spiritual, physical, emotional, and relational health. I am called to shepherd, teach, and love my family, and then serve the church from that overflow.
I opened my journal and wrote down the prayer of Psalm 86:
Psalms 86:11 (NASB)
Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.
“Teach me Your way, Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.”
There is immense joy in seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The universal calling of every believer—to love God, love people, and become like Jesus—can be lived out by anyone, anywhere, regardless of age, marital status, income, education, or background. The Apostle Paul lived out that calling from a damp prison cell!
This is why Scripture gives us this promise:
Psalms 37:4 (NASB)
Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.
“Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
This does not mean God acts as a vending machine for our selfish wish list. Rather, when we delight in Him and seek His kingdom first, He begins to reshape the desires of our hearts. We start longing for what He longs for. And if you aren’t there yet, you can simply pray, “Lord, help me to want what You want, because right now, I don’t.” That is a prayer God loves to answer.
You Are Not Alone
When my son Noah was in middle school, he had a wrestling tournament across town. I arranged my work schedule so I could leave early and support him. But on the way, my GPS malfunctioned, and I got completely lost. By the time I arrived at the school, I couldn’t find the gymnasium and began panicking. When I finally burst through the gym doors, Noah’s match was already in the first round.
Noah was an eighth grader wrestling in the 168-pound weight class, and the match was an intense battle. The score went back and forth through the first two rounds. In the third round, I saw this look of fierce determination come over Noah’s face. He grabbed his opponent, executed a powerful throw, pinned him to the mat, and won the match. The other kid was lying there stunned and groaning, and while part of me hoped he wasn’t hurt, the proud dad in me was cheering at the top of my lungs!
Afterward, I asked Noah, “Where did that sudden burst of energy come from at the end?”
He laughed and said, “Dad, that guy had the worst body odor and terrible breath—I was so miserable I just had to end the match!” But then he looked at me and said something I’ll never forget: “Dad, when the match started, I didn’t see you in the bleachers, so I didn’t know if you were there. But then during the match, I heard your voice, and I knew you were there.”
Noah knew he was not alone. Win or lose, his dad was in his corner.
Friends, you are not alone. Some days will be wonderful; other days will be overwhelming and painful. But in the midst of every trial, the Lord is with you. You have a Heavenly Father who knows your name, numbers the hairs on your head, and surrounds you with His presence. You also have a family of faith—brothers and sisters in Christ who are ready to stand with you and pray for you.
Let’s close our time together in prayer. I invite you to bow your heads and close your eyes.
Right now, in the quiet of your heart, say to God: “Lord, I am here.”
Bring to mind the primary worry weighing on your soul today—whether it is your finances, your health, your children, your marriage, or an uncertain future. Picture that concern in your mind, and listen to the words Jesus speaks over you right now:
“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? If God so clothes the grass of the field, will He not much more clothe you? Your heavenly Father knows what you need. Do not fear; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Lay that burden into His hands.
Father, thank You that You are with us and that You care. I pray tonight for anyone in this room who does not yet know Jesus Christ—grant them the gift of faith to trust in the Savior who died on the cross for their sins and rose from the dead. For those of us who have walked with You for years, teach us to trust You day by day, moment by moment. Help us to cast all our anxieties upon You, knowing that You care for us. We commit our lives into Your faithful hands. In Jesus’ name, Amen.