OPINION:
I read recently that Millennials and Gen Z are the most stressed generations ever, with the highest suicide rates. For these two generations, antidepressants are the bestselling pharmaceuticals.
Why is this so? Honestly, I believe a lot of this stress comes from a device most of us carry around in our pockets: smartphones.
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And then, of course, on its heels, comes the explosion of social media. So many of the problems in culture today trace directly back to that. In fact, 44% of people who constantly check their phones feel isolated because of this technology, even when they’re with their families. I remember I was in Hawaii a while ago and we were sitting outside watching a beautiful Maui sunset. I happened to glance at a family sitting at a table near us, and not one person was looking at the sunset. They were all flipping through their phones.
What a waste of a potentially beautiful family moment!
A recent article in Forbes magazine said that the more we use social media, the less happy we seem to be. Multiple studies have found a strong link between heavy social media use and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts.
We spend a lot of needless time worrying about so many things.
In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us:
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life — whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” – Matthew 6:25-27
And then He adds these powerful words:
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” – Matthew 6:31-33
Jesus isn’t saying that Christians should never think about or be concerned with the needs of life, including housing, food, and clothing. In fact, elsewhere in Scripture, we’re specifically told to plan for the future, work hard and save our money. What Jesus was saying was “don’t worry about these things.” A better translation would be, “Stop having anxiety about this.”
A recent article in Forbes magazine said that the more we use social media, the less happy we seem to be.
— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) September 20, 2024
Multiple studies have found a strong link between heavy social media use
and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts.…
It’s one thing to think about something. It’s another thing to have constant anxiety about it. Listen, worry is not a virtue. Let me take it a step further. Worry can actually be a sin. Why? Because worry is really a lack of trust in God.
Worry is a lot like a rocking chair. You’re always moving but never getting anywhere. The problem with worry is that it’s interest paid on trouble before it’s due. Corrie Ten Boom told us, “worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.” The great theologian Martyn Lloyd-Jones put it like this: “The result of worrying about the future is that you’re crippling yourself in the present.”
The best antidote to worry is prayer. The next time you’re faced with one of life’s “what if” scenarios — What if this happens? What if that happens? — commit it to God. Say, “Lord, I trust in You. I look to You. I put this burden in Your hands.”
The apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
The word “cast” literally means to throw something. In other words, take your burdens and your problems, and throw them on God, who has asked you to do that very thing. And then place the full weight of your hope and trust on Him.
Jesus was probably walking outside with His disciples when He pointed out some birds nearby. He was saying, “Do these birds look worried to you?”
Birds are stress-free. Yes, they still collect seeds, they still build their nests, and at my house, some hang out at my bird feeders and get free food. Others hang out at McDonald’s to wait for a fry to hit the ground. Sometimes they don’t even wait for it to hit the ground, they’ll steal it from you. Then there are seagulls, who will carry off your small dogs or children if you’re not careful. But still, birds don’t worry. Why do you worry?
If you put God first, life will find its proper balance. Again, Matthew 6:33 tells us to “seek the Kingdom of God above all else … and he will give you everything you need.” Put God first and He will take care of you. No, He won’t make everyone wealthy. But He will give you what you need when you need it. He said so!
Philippians 4:6 takes God’s commands about worry even further: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
I love that.
In another translation it reads: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
I love that word “guard,” because it suggests a Roman sentry, like a centurion, guarding the door of your heart. God’s peace will protect you if you pray about it instead of worry about it.
So turn your panic into prayer, turn your worry into worship, and turn your anxieties into petitions. Tell Him, “Lord, I’m troubled by this thing right now and I just commit it to You. I’m overwhelmed by this other thing. Lord, I commit it to You.”
Do this the moment when those anxieties cross your mind. If you do, you will find yourself praying more through your days and nights. That will draw you closer and closer to the God who loves you.
And there is no better place to be.
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Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author and movie producer. See the feature film, “Jesus Revolution” from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company in now available.
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