Jesus does not mince words in Matthew 6:25-34. "Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes?" He then asks one of the most profound questions in all of Scripture: "Can any one of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life?" It is a question we need to be reminded of often.

What Worry Actually Is

When you read this passage, it helps to ask what worry actually means. The Greek word used here paints a vivid picture. It describes a fractured or torn mindset, someone being pulled in two different directions. Imagine one person tugging on one arm and another person tugging on the other, trying to pull you apart. If you have been worried about something recently, you understand that feeling. It is incredibly difficult to be fully present with the people around you when your mind is torn between the present moment and something you dread.

In this context, Jesus is getting specific. He has been talking about money in the verses leading up to this passage. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). The reasons for worry He gives here are clearly rooted in material things: food and clothes, what you are going to eat, what you are going to wear. That was a major preoccupation for people in Jesus' day. For us, it can look a little different. Sometimes, if you do not have something, you worry about getting it. But when you have something, you can find yourself worrying about having more and becoming consumed by it. The principles Jesus offers here extend well beyond material stuff.

The Difference Between Worry and Concern

There is an important distinction that often gets overlooked. Worry is different than concern. To be concerned about somebody is to care about them. The problem is that we often equate worry with caring, and there is a line where concern crosses over into something unhealthy.

For example, I have concerns that motivate me. I have concerns about my sons' success in life. I have some concerns about where my 17-year-old will attend college. That concern has not moved into worry for me because I do not ruminate on it. I do not obsess over it. It does not inspire fear. It motivates me to do things, like researching colleges, having conversations with him, praying, and asking God for direction so he can get the insight he needs. Concern is rooted in love. Worry jumps ship on love and goes straight to fear or control.

A Word About Anxiety

Worry is also a cousin to anxiety, though those two words get used almost interchangeably. There is an important distinction, because anxiety can be a mental health issue. It is one I have experienced personally, and one I have walked with many people through.

I will share briefly. It started when I was 20. I was a youth pastor, and we had a high school on our church campus. Most days, I would walk over to the cafeteria, open the door, and say hi to students. One day, I put my hand on the doorknob, turned it, and was overwhelmed with a terrible sense of dread and fear. I was suddenly flooded with emotion I did not know how to process. My heart was racing, and I thought I was going to pass out. What was happening was a panic attack.

I sat with some wise people and went to counseling. They helped me understand that anxiety is often like a beach ball you have been holding under the water. A panic attack happens when you're not able to keep holding on to it. God walked me through that season, and I believe the principles in this passage can help with both worry and anxiety. There is not always a magic bullet, but there is a way to think about these things that gives us the perspective we need for wholeness.

Four Reasons We Do Not Have to Worry

If you do not have the right mindset about worry, it affects everything. So why does Jesus say we should not worry? He gives us four clear reasons.

Our Treasure Is in Heaven

From Matthew 6:21 and 25, Jesus makes clear that our treasure is secured. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." He follows with, "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?" We do not have to worry because He has already provided, and our treasure is in heaven. It becomes a matter of understanding what is truly important and what is not.

We Are Too Valuable to God

This one really gets me. "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?" (Matthew 6:26). Jesus is holding up our value against the rest of creation and saying: You win. You are far more valuable than the flowers. You are far more valuable than birds.

One thing worth noting is that Jesus picked the bird for a reason. Birds are not lazy. They are busy, active, and always working. And Jesus is saying, "I take care of them, and I will take care of you." This is not a call to apathy or passivity. It is a reminder that our value to God means He will not neglect us.

Worry Adds No Value

"Can any one of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life?" (Matthew 6:27). I have never had a morning where I woke up and thought, "I am really glad I spent all that time last night worrying. I feel so refreshed. I am better because I worried." That moment has never come. Worry adds zero value.

The old poet Michel de Montaigne said, "My life has been filled with terrible misfortune, most of which never happened." In his book The End of Stress, Don Joseph Goey describes a study where adults were asked to write down their worries. He then followed up with them over time. 85% of what they had written down as a worry never came to anything. And of the 15% that did happen, the overwhelming majority said they were thankful for the struggle, that they learned from it, and that they would not change a thing. So even the thing you are most worried about might be the very thing that makes you stronger.

God Already Knows What We Need

"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" (Matthew 6:31-32). Jesus keeps repeating this because He wants it to sink in deeply. You have a Father who is informed. He loves you, and He cares for you. Do not chase after those things. Trust Him. He has got you. He will take care of it.

What Is Actually Causing Your Worry?

You might think the source of your worry is the person driving you crazy, the boss stressing you out, the spouse being difficult, or the teenager you cannot figure out. But this passage reveals two deeper causes.

The first is unbelief. In verse 30, Jesus says, "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, O you of little faith?" He said that phrase more than once to His disciples. You either do not believe rightly about God, thinking He is too busy, indifferent, or not powerful enough, or you do not believe rightly about yourself, thinking you are not valuable enough. As Warren Wiersbe put it, "Worry is practical atheism." It is functionally saying God is either not there, not capable, or not interested, so you take your concerns back from Him and carry them yourself.

The second is a pagan mindset. In Matthew 6:32, Jesus says, "For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them." The pagans were known for their obsession with material accumulation. Jesus is warning that if you have that same mindset, you will be like them. So what are you running after? What are you chasing that could be fueling the worry in your life?

There is an unfortunate reality in the church today. Many people are being discipled more by their algorithms than by the Word of God or the people of God. Our algorithms constantly push new things in front of us, mostly to sell us something and get us chasing after them. I moved into a new house recently, and the whole internet knows it, because I keep getting ads for everything you could put in a new home. I do not want to chase after those things. I do not want to worry about whether it is enough or looks good enough to other people.

Seek First

So what do we do with our worry? We are called to move toward God with it. Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." This is such a critical passage. The answer to worry is not trying harder to stop worrying. It is reorienting our pursuit. When we seek God first, when we trust that He knows what we need and that we are valuable to Him, the grip of worry begins to loosen. The first and best step you can take in your life is to surrender your life to Jesus Christ. That is the biggest step toward peace and shalom in your heart. It is the answer to worry and chaos.

Each day has enough trouble of its own. But each day also has a Father who already knows what you need.