How to Deal with Worry: Learning Not to Redline Your Life
Have you ever driven a manual car (stick shift) and waited too long to shift into the next gear? If so, you know what happens. The engine roars while the odometer shows RPMs that are redlining. Is the solution to stop driving the car? No. It is to drive it in the way the designer built it, shifting the gears within the range of what the vehicle is intended to handle.
This is often what happens in life. We go through life getting stuff done and interacting with people, but then we start to redline. Our thoughts start racing, our blood pressure starts rising, and the worry starts to drown out life around us. How does this happen? And what should we do about it?
Worry is a common temptation for anyone in life. What if I don’t make the basketball team? What if I don’t get asked out? What if we won’t be able to have children? What if I lose my job? What if we don’t have enough money saved up for retirement? What if I am left as a widow? Each of these questions is often a reflection of fear. They specialize in “what if” scenarios. They are not rooted in intellectual curiosity, but in paralyzing fear—fear that events will take place that are out of our control.
All Christians know they should not worry. Jesus told us (Matt. 6:25–34). Paul reminded us (Phil. 4:6–7). Yet we keep struggling with it. We know better but struggle to respond better. Why? It’s because while we were distracted by possibility, we forgot about the greater reality—there is a God who is our Father, and He knows us and cares for us.
Let me encourage you, the next time you start to redline with “what if” thoughts, to put into action these three encouragements.
1. Remember that God sees you and your situation.
Throughout the Bible we see people asking God if He sees them or is with them. David cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Ps. 22:1). The Sons of Korah cry out, “Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?” (Ps. 44:23). Encouragingly, God answers back through His Word time and time again: “Fear not, for I am with you” (Isa. 41:10). The Lord “will not leave you or forsake you” (Deut. 31:6).
Be assured that the same Savior who first invited you to come to Him for rest when you were heavy laden has not stopped offering to take your burden today as His disciple.
The truths of Psalm 139—that the Lord knows us and there is nowhere we can flee from His presence—should be concerning to those who are trying to run from the Lord, but they are comforting to those who want the Lord. We learn that no matter where we go, the Lord is right there with us. Jesus makes this encouraging promise to all His disciples, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). Why are these truths important to remember? Because when worry creeps in, we often feel like we are in a situation where God is not present, so we feel all alone. And, like being lost in a dark building, we are always glad when someone is with us to keep us company. The good news is that God is with us.
2. Remind yourself of the ways God has cared for you in times past.
Do you have sweet memories that bring a smile to your face, like a favorite birthday gift you received when you were a child or a surprise visit from a friend? One of mine is when my wife planned a surprise picnic for the two of us in the backyard of a mansion—a mansion belonging to someone we did not know (though we had permission to be there). Such memories are helpful to recall in moments of discouragement or trouble. So it is with the Lord.
When we are feeling worried about a situation we are facing, it is important stop and recall in times past how the Lord was not only present but providentially orchestrated ways in which He cared for us. When the Israelites were worried about what was to come after they crossed the Jordan River, Moses reminded them how the Lord cared for them through the wilderness (Deut. 8). Nehemiah’s pep talk for the people as they rebuilt the wall reads like a greatest hits album of songs extolling all the great works the Lord had done for His people in times past (Neh. 9:6–15). Paul, reflecting on his exhausting ministry that led to “fighting without and fear within,” told the Corinthians that God is One “who comforts the downcast” (2 Cor. 7:6).
What about you? Perhaps it is time to stop and take inventory as you recall the different ways in times past that the Lord has cared for you. Let those “bookmarks” in your past be evident in your mind as you stare at what is to come in your future.
3. Realize that God acts for you as you pray to Him.
Last, let me encourage you to pray with confidence about the matter you are facing and worried about. Be assured that the same Savior who first invited you to come to Him for rest when you were heavy laden has not stopped offering to take your burden today as His disciple (Matt. 11:28–30). Our heavenly Father sees you, cares for you, and will act in your best interest (Rom. 8:28). As you bring your worries to Him, like a good father, He will give good gifts to you, His child (Luke 11:13). God does not call you to “fake it until you make it”—to act like everything is fine as you put on a good face for others. No, He invites you to be honest with Him, “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). As you do so, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).
The solution to avoiding redlining your car and revving it too high is not found in parking it, but in driving it the way the designer intended. So is the solution for the Christian life. Go on about your day. Interact with others. Carry out your tasks. Learn of new challenges. Encounter new opportunities. But do so in a way your Designer intended—with faith, not fear. Why? Because He is with you, He has cared for you, and He will not stop caring for you in the days ahead. With your head up, shoulders rolled back, eyes looking forward, and a heart full of faith, walk into the future the Lord has for you. It will be good.
