Matthew 6:26-27. 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?

The most useless thing that you can say to a person who is worrying is: “Don’t worry.” No doubt it is meant kindly, but you are actually increasing the person’s problems, because you have done nothing to stop their worrying and have now added a layer of guilt on top! I love Jesus’ approach. He tells His followers that they have no need to worry because God will provide for them. If He is able to look after the birds and the flowers, He can certainly cope with their problems. Trusting God is the answer. Worrying has never, and can never, build anything.

I do realise that those wise words don’t in themselves solve the problem. Worries will still come knocking at the door wanting to claim our attention. So what shall we do when the next worry turns up as it is bound to do? The best thing that we can do is to bring that worry to God in prayer. As we pray we are able to commit our concerns to God knowing that He knows the whole story. He knows all about our aches and pains, our passions, our frustrations, our hopes and our fears. Nothing is hidden from him and as we pray we can be sure that He longs to respond.

Question – What are you going to say when you are next tempted to say “don’t worry”?

Prayer – Lord God, thank You that You perfectly provide for my needs and that I have no need to worry. Amen

Released on 12 Nov 2026