Q:
My sister-in-law spends a lot of time worrying about the future. She reads all sorts of doomsday blogs and worries constantly about all the disasters she thinks might happen to us. Is it good to worry so much about this?
A:
No, it’s not good to worry constantly about things that might happen, and one reason is because worrying about them doesn’t change anything. In other words, worrying may change us, but it won’t change the situation. Jesus said, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27).
Does this mean we shouldn’t ever think about the future or prepare for problems we might face? No, of course not. But constantly worrying about them will only fill us with anxiety and fear, and God doesn’t want us to go through life like that.
More than that, such speculations turn our minds and hearts away from the only One who knows what the future holds — and that is God. Why depend on human speculations that may or may not prove true? As the writer of Ecclesiastes put it, “Since no one knows the future, who can tell someone else what is to come?” (Ecclesiastes 8:7).
The only lasting cure for worry is to trust our lives and our futures into God’s hands. He loves us, and ultimately the future is in His hands. Urge your sister-in-law to commit her life to Jesus Christ, and to focus on the hope and security we have because of Him. And if you’ve never committed your life to Christ, I urge you to do so today. The Bible tells us to commit every worry to God in prayer. Then, it promises, “the peace of God… will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).