What Keeps You Up at Night? Learning to Trust God With Your Worry
Worry is something every person deals with, whether occasionally or constantly. It shifts shape as we move through different seasons of life, but it never fully disappears. This post explores what Jesus says about worry, what a storm on the Sea of Galilee teaches us about faith, and how we can begin to trust God with the things that consume our minds.
Why Do We Worry? Understanding Where It Comes From
Worry is a natural response to uncertainty, vulnerability, and the fear of losing something we love. It is not the same as planning ahead or dealing with a diagnosed anxiety disorder. The kind of worry being addressed here is the everyday concern about tomorrow that begins to consume us today.
Our worries change as we grow older. As children, we wonder if we will make friends or make the team. As young adults, we ask whether we will find a job or someone to marry. As parents, our focus shifts entirely to our children. And later in life, the questions become about independence, finances, and whether we have saved enough.
The worries do not go away. They just change shape.
What Does Worry Actually Do to Us?
The core problem with worry is that it pulls tomorrow into today. We become so consumed with what could happen that we miss what is happening right now. We miss the people God has placed in our lives. We miss moments with our children and grandchildren. We miss opportunities because our minds are already living in a future that has not arrived.
Fear takes today’s storm and writes tomorrow’s ending, and it almost always writes the worst possible outcome.
The Storm on the Sea: What the Disciples Can Teach Us About Fear
In Mark 4, Jesus and His disciples are crossing the Sea of Galilee when a violent storm hits. Several of the disciples were experienced fishermen who had spent years on that water, and yet this storm terrified them. Jesus, meanwhile, was asleep in the stern of the boat.
The disciples woke Him and asked, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” At its core, their question was not just about the storm. It was about whether Jesus saw them, whether He cared about what they were going through.
Jesus stood up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” The storm stopped immediately. Then He turned to His disciples and asked, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” – Mark 4:39-40 New International Version (NIV)
Their response was not relief. It was awe and confusion. “They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!'” – Mark 4:41 New International Version (NIV)
How Is This Story Different From Jonah’s?
There is an Old Testament story running in the background of this moment. Jonah also found himself on a boat in a furious storm. The crew woke him, asking him to call on his God. Jonah told them the storm was his fault and that throwing him overboard would calm the sea. They did, and it worked.
Jonah was offered as a sacrifice to calm the wind and the waves. But Jesus simply spoke, and they obeyed. Jonah called on God. Jesus is God. The contrast is intentional and powerful.
What Does Our Anxiety Reveal About Our Faith?
The disciples had already seen Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead. And yet in the storm, their fear overtook their faith. Their anxiety revealed a gap in their understanding of who Jesus truly was.
The same question applies to us. What does our anxiety reveal about our understanding of who Jesus is? Do we truly believe He is powerful enough to handle what we are carrying?
What Jesus Says About Worry in the Sermon on the Mount
In Matthew 6, Jesus gives a direct prescription for worry. He says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 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?” – Matthew 6:25-26 New International Version (NIV)
He continues, “See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” – Matthew 6:28-29 New International Version (NIV)
For many of us, worrying about food and clothing is not our reality. But the principle applies directly to our modern concerns. Why worry about your retirement account? Why worry about your child’s future? Look around. God is caring for the birds and the flowers. Do you not think He will care for you?
How Do We Actually Stop Worrying?
Jesus is not telling us to pretend our problems do not exist. He is redirecting our anxious attention so that tomorrow’s troubles do not take over today. He offers a simple but powerful pattern:
- Look. Go outside. See the evidence of God’s goodness around you. Open your eyes to what He is already doing.
- Cast. As Peter writes, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:7 New International Version (NIV). Take what you are carrying and give it to Him. Trust that He is strong enough to hold it.
- Seek. Jesus says, “But seek first his kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:33 New International Version (NIV). He does not promise everything will work out exactly as we expect. He promises that when we seek Him first, everything else will be cared for.
The Promise We Can Hold Onto
Jesus closes this teaching with a simple but grounding statement. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” – Matthew 6:34 New International Version (NIV)
Do not allow what might happen tomorrow to consume the life you are living today. The God who spoke to the wind and the waves, the God who surrendered His life on the cross because He loved us, is the same God who invites us to cast every anxiety on Him.
He cares for you. That is not a motivational phrase. It is a promise.
Life Application
This week, identify one specific worry that has been consuming your thoughts. It might be a financial concern, a fear about your children, a health issue, or uncertainty about the future. Write it down. Then, in a moment of prayer, physically and intentionally give it to God. Speak it out loud if you need to. Practice the pattern Jesus gives us: look for evidence of His goodness around you, cast your anxiety on Him, and redirect your focus toward seeking His kingdom first.
Ask yourself these questions as you reflect:
- What does the thing I worry about most reveal about my trust in God?
- Am I so focused on what could happen tomorrow that I am missing what God is doing in my life today?
- Do I truly believe that the God who calmed the storm is powerful enough to handle what I am carrying right now?