“Do not worry about tomorrow.”
In these five words lies the blueprint for calming a restless mind. Two thousand years ago, on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, Jesus spoke these words. He was addressing a crowd living under the heavy taxation of both the Roman Empire and local rulers. Many of the people in the audience lived hand-to-mouth, which means if a day laborer didn’t get hired for a day, or if a crop failed, their family did not eat.
Though our modern stressors look different than the harsh economic realities of the ancient Roman Empire, the weight of uncertainty remains exactly the same. These words from Jesus are applicable now more than ever, with an estimated 359 million people living with an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety = Fear of the Future
Interestingly, Matthew 6:25-34 is situated in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount. In the verse prior, Jesus was talking about money and how no one can serve both God and mammon. The Aramaic word ‘mammon’ refers to money, and not just money as a currency, but wealth that people try to accumulate to protect themselves from whatever bad fortune the future may bring: business failure, a critical illness, job loss, etc.
The very next word that connects verses 24 and 25 is the word “therefore.” By placing “therefore” immediately after a warning about the traps of wealth and self-reliance, Jesus draws a direct line between the two concepts. He is saying that anxiety is deeply tied to people’s attempts to control the future. In essence, the message becomes: Because trying to accumulate enough wealth to fully insulate yourself from life’s uncertainties is a losing battle, stop exhausting your mind by trying to control tomorrow. You cannot divide your allegiance between God and the wealth you perceive as having the power to protect you from the future, so stop worrying about your life. Stop worrying about how you and your family will eat, or whether you have anything to eat at all. Stop worrying about whether or not you will have enough clothes to wear.
We have the capacity to serve only one master. Therefore, we cannot serve God if we keep on being consumed by the necessities of life.
The Divided Mind
If that is the case, then worry isn’t some random emotion that we generally don’t have any control over but the symptom of trying to be allies of two opposing camps.
One thing we must understand, however, is that Jesus wasn’t prescribing positive thinking. He was diagnosing a disease embodied in the word μεριμνάω, which means “To be anxious, to worry, to care for.” It comes from the root word μερίζω, which means “To divide, to distribute, to apportion.”
When Jesus mentioned the word “worry” in Matthew 6:25, the audience understood the image he was trying to paint: a mind being torn apart and pulled in two directions. The first direction being where the mind is supposed to be, namely, God, and the second direction being on something that hasn’t happened yet, namely, the future. And not just the future per se, but a future where one is lacking, sick, alone, or unprovided for.
When we are anxious, our minds are so consumed by fear of the future that there is no room left for trust. And this can be terrifying, because our future now depends on us—what we know and what we can do—instead of what God can do. And if we are being honest, we know that we can only do so much.
Anxiety Doesn’t Stay Small—It Multiplies
In Psalm 94:19, you will find one of the most accurate descriptions of anxiety: “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” (Psalm 94:19)
Most English translations simply say that the Psalmist’s anxiety was “great” or “many.” However, the Hebrew word translated as “anxiety” is שַׂרְעַפִּים (sar’appim), a rare word that appears only twice in the Old Testament. This word gives the original audience a vivid picture of thoughts that branch out and multiply.
Anxiety rarely begins with ten worries. It usually starts with one.
“What if I lose my job?”
That single question quickly gives birth to another.
“What if I can’t pay the mortgage?”
Then another.
“What if my family suffers because of me?”
Then another.
“What if everything I’ve worked for falls apart?”
Before long, the mind is no longer dealing with one concern but is now juggling dozens of imagined futures at once. One anxious thought produces three more, and those three produce ten. Left unchecked, it becomes a chain reaction that feeds upon itself.
This is the very reason that anxiety feels so overwhelming. We are no longer responding to reality but to countless hypothetical scenarios that have never happened. Our minds begin living in futures that may never exist.
Interestingly, the psalmist never says he eliminated these multiplying thoughts. Instead, he writes, “Your consolations delighted my soul.” The anxious thoughts did not disappear because of positive thinking or sheer willpower. They were interrupted by something greater: God’s comfort.
Jesus’ Cure Is Greater Than Positive Thinking
Jesus teaches the very same principle in Matthew 6. He doesn’t tell His followers to empty their minds or pretend tomorrow doesn’t exist. Instead, He redirects their attention toward their heavenly Father. He does not simply tell us to stop worrying. He gives us something else to pursue. Throughout Scripture, we find seven practical truths that together form God’s antidote to anxiety.
1. Seek God’s Kingdom First
Instead of allowing our minds to remain occupied by fearful possibilities, Jesus commands us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). The cure for a divided mind is not an empty mind but one that has been redirected. We cannot remove anxious thoughts merely by suppressing them. They lose their grip when our attention is deliberately fixed on God, His character, and His promises.
2. Redirect Your Mind Instead of Emptying It
Jesus never tells us to stop thinking altogether. Rather, He teaches us to replace fear with faith. When our minds are consumed with imagined futures, we are left with little room for trust. On the contrary, when our minds are occupied with God’s truth, we become anchored instead of divided. So, every time you feel like you’re going to be anxious, think of it as an invitation to redirect your thoughts back to Christ.
3. Trust God With Tomorrow
Jesus repeatedly points His listeners back to their heavenly Father. The birds do not spend their days obsessing over tomorrow’s food, yet God feeds them. The flowers do not strive to make themselves beautiful, yet God clothes them with splendour. If God, our Heavenly Father, faithfully provides for His creation, how much more will He care for His children? Tomorrow belongs to Him, while today’s responsibilities belong to us.
4. Cast Your Burdens on God
Peter echoes Jesus’ teaching when he writes, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” God never asks us to pretend our burdens do not exist. Instead, He invites us to throw them upon His shoulders because He is able to carry what we cannot. Anxiety loses much of its power when we stop carrying what God has asked us to surrender.
5. Replace Worry With Prayer
Paul adds another piece to the picture in Philippians 4. Rather than rehearsing endless “what if” scenarios, believers are called to bring every concern before God through prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. God’s promise is not that every circumstance will immediately change, but that His peace will stand guard over our hearts and minds while we wait upon Him.
6. Care for Your Body as Well as Your Soul
Scripture recognises that anxiety affects the whole person. After Elijah collapsed beneath the weight of fear and exhaustion, God first gave him food and rest before speaking to him. Sometimes, caring for our bodies through rest, wise counsel, medical care, counselling, or therapy is not a sign of weak faith but part of God’s gracious provision. Physical exhaustion often magnifies spiritual discouragement, and God lovingly addresses both.
7. Practice This Every Day
Freedom from anxiety is rarely a one-time event. It is a daily practice of returning our attention to God. Every anxious thought becomes another opportunity to seek His Kingdom, trust Him with tomorrow, pray instead of panic, cast our burdens upon Him, and receive the peace that only He can give. As we continually redirect our minds toward Christ, anxiety gradually loses its hold and trust begins to take its place.
Anxiety is not something we can get rid of overnight. As a matter of fact, we will experience anxiety for as long as we are alive. The good news is we can practice freedom from it daily. Every anxious thought can be an opportunity to redirect our minds toward Christ, to trust our heavenly Father with tomorrow, to pray instead of panic, to cast our burdens upon Him, and to receive the peace that only Christ can give.
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