Why worry?

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:27
We can worry about all sorts of things – how we’re going to be able to afford something, what our kids will be like when they grow up, what people might think of us if we do x, y, or z. We worry about the climate, the economic climate, the political climate, the threat of war. We worry about big things and trivial things.
Worry is a dread of things that might or might not happen in the future. When you think about it, most of the things we worry about, are things we have no control over. Worry is the opposite of hope: hope looks forward to the future, believing the promises of God when He says, those things in the future for us are as good as done in His sight.
Many medical studies have shown that worrying is detrimental to our health: insomnia, high blood pressure, migraines, ulcers etc. can all be the result of excessive anxiety. So Jesus is right on the mark here, when He says, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Worry will not only shorten our lives, but will also take the joy out of the hours that we do have.
So what is the solution? The Bible tells us that we are to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). When you start to worry about something, stop and pray about it (Phil. 4:6). God is in control of everything, and if He’s not worried about it, then there’s really no need for us to be.