
The Worry Syndrome
Matthew 10 Do Not Worry!
We hear the word syndrome, but do we know what it means? Here is one definition: A distinctive or characteristic pattern of behavior. Worry falls into that category and our children often exhibit this due to varying circumstances. Another word for worry is anxiety or being anxious. One of the greatest challenges in our children’s lives is that they tend to worry. They worry about many things. Worry is one of those nagging sins that we and they carry like a trophy and it disturbs not just ourselves but spills over into our relationships with others. We worry about what tomorrow will bring or we worry about what we shall wear or we worry about life in general. In other words, we worry about many things.
In Matthew 10, Jesus is teaching the disciples about what will happen after he has departed back to heaven. He reminds them, the world will hate us and seek to undermine our message of the love of Jesus and His offer of salvation by having us listen to the words of our arch enemy, Satan. Listen to what Jesus said, “do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.” [Matt 10:19-20] This is a powerful reminder that the Holy Spirit who lives in us will bring words and thoughts to our mind.
Why do children worry and why do we worry? We worry because we are not trusting God and His Holy Spirit. The Philippians were just like us, and so Paul wrote to them. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” [Phil 4:6-7] So when the enemy comes calling for us to worry, we need to take the first step of prayer. Let our prayers be filled with thanksgiving. Tell God all about the problem. And then He will guard our hearts with this: I am with you and will never leave you or forsake you. I will send My Holy Spirit to teach you what to do and say. It is like this; he, the enemy is playing a game of chess but if we trust God, He will show us the next move!
