Is it a sin to worry? Before we answer that question, we must ask ourselves another question. Is pride a sin? Most of us would answer in the affirmative. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
The first thing we see in these verses is that we are to humble ourselves under the sovereign control of God. Throughout the Old Testament “the mighty hand of God” was synonymous for the sovereign power of God. However, God’s supreme sovereignty is hard for us as humans to swallow. Even believers struggle with true humility and total surrender to the sovereignty of God. We may say we believe God is sovereign, but we live as if we were in control.
“Most Christians salute the sovereignty of God but believe in the sovereignty of man.”
-R.C. Sproul
Next, we see is that the way we humble ourselves under God’s authority is by not worrying. Therefore, to worry is a sin because to worry is to be proud, which is the opposite of being humble. Did you ever stop to think that the reason we worry is because we are struggling to control a problem or a situation in our lives? Worry is an outward manifestation that we are feeling overwhelmed in our efforts to control things. We must understand that we are not in control, and it is prideful to think we are.
“Worry is a form of pride because when believers are filled with anxiety, they are convinced that they must solve all the problems in their lives in their own strength. The only god they trust in is themselves. When believers throw their worries upon God, they express their trust in his mighty hand.” – Tom Schreiner
God is sovereign and He cares about you. There are no greater, more powerful, more comforting, more hopeful, more encouraging words in the entirety of the universe, than these words. These two simple phrases constitute the bedrock foundation upon which our entire faith rests. We can rest in the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:25-33, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
We can rest in the promise that everything that happens in our lives is part of God’s plan (Romans 8:28).
That which should distinguish the suffering of believers from unbelievers is the confidence that our suffering is under the control of an all-powerful and all-loving God. Our suffering has meaning and purpose in God’s eternal plan, and He brings or allows to come into our lives only that which is for His glory and our good. – Jerry Bridges
We may not understand at the time why things are happening the way they are, but we can do nothing to change our situation by worrying. Instead, let us repent of sin of worry, and put our lives into the capable hands of our loving father, trusting Him in all things (Philippians 4:6). He is sovereign and He cares for you!
