Madame Worry

 

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.”

—Philippians 4:6 TLB

You’ve met her. You could very well know her as the most domineering person in your life. “Madame Worry” loves to talk. She has an active imagination and creatively tells you about all kinds of terrible eventualities. She has a powerful knack for exaggeration and a natural tendency to take over your life. To recognize her, you only have to hear the words, “Yes, but…” or “What about…?”

Jesus directly alluded to “Madame Worry” in His Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6:25-33, four times Jesus says, “Do not worry.” He uses the conditions of nakedness, hunger, and thirst as His illustration of circumstances. Yet, we could add any number of personal incidents in which a person quite naturally worries.

D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, famous Welsh Evangelical who served for many years as pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, speaks of “Madame Worry” as a separate and distinct person from the things we worry about. God can relieve us of these burdens. But, she continues to hold on to us, to bring up something new, or something we’ve placed on the “back burner” for awhile. He writes that in “Madame Worry” herself lies the worst and most persistent problem. When she has a grip on us, she never lets go.¹

According to our Lord, the vital thing is not to spend every day of your life in adding up a grand total of everything that is ever likely to happen… But the great thing to do is to realize that every day must be lived in and of itself and as a unit. Here is the quota for today… There are certain people who are so concerned about how they are going to be able to live in the future that they have no time to help the causes which are in need at this moment. That is what is wrong. If I allow my concern about the future to cripple me in the present, I am guilty of worry; but if I make reasonable provision, in a legitimate manner, and then live my life fully in the present, all is well.

Jesus taught that He will provide daily bread, just as He provided daily manna for the Israelites in the wilderness. To solve the problem of worry, we must trust Him.

According to Philippians 4:6-7, God intends to garrison our hearts and minds with His peace. This is the deadly antidote to the intrusive words of “Madame Worry.” If we pray and present our requests to God, He will give us that peace.

Perhaps we need to learn to talk back to “Madame Worry” and determine not to remain intimidated by her seemingly reasonable and sometimes compelling arguments. In the war against this satanic force, we have the “Sword of the Spirit” that the Apostle Paul writes about in Ephesians 6:17. That “Sword” is made strong and sharp by God’s written Word.

We must believe that God knows about “Madame Worry.” He knows what an influence she has on all of us. And, He wants us to know that she is no match for His powerful peace, love, strength, and provision.

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1 Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1971. Vol. 2, Pp. 148-150, 154.