BREAKING BONDAGES: MAKING ORDER OUT OF PANIC DISORDER | Matthew 6:25–34 | Message 3
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Do Not Worry
25 “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? 26 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? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:25–34
When Fear Feels Overwhelming
The symptoms of a panic attack are terrifying.
You feel the fear of dying… the fear of losing control.
Your breathing turns shallow and rapid.
You’re sweating, trembling, and your muscles tighten.
Your hands tingle, your chest tightens, your mind screams run!—but you don’t know where or why.
Then comes the insomnia, the exhaustion, the dread.
It sounds frightening because it is. Over 4 million Americans suffer from Panic Anxiety Disorder, and worldwide the number exceeds 89 million. Ten percent of people will experience at least one panic attack in their lifetime—most often in their early twenties—and it is twice as common in women as in men.
Famous names like Marie Osmond, Winston Churchill, Emily Dickinson, John Madden, and Charles Schulz have all walked through the dark valley of anxiety. Panic disorder is no respecter of persons. But the good news is this: God has a divine plan for peace, healing, and emotional order.
Jesus’ Remedy for a Restless Mind
In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus said, “Do not worry about your life… Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.”
Christ didn’t minimize human anxiety—He confronted it with divine truth. Three times He commands: “Do not worry.”
Worry accomplishes nothing. “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” (v. 27). Jesus points us to creation itself—the birds and the lilies—as living reminders of His care. If God feeds the sparrows and clothes the fields in splendor, how much more will He care for you?
The Father knows your physical, emotional, relational, and psychological needs. He has not forgotten you.
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)
Fanny Crosby, born in 1820, lost her sight at six weeks old after a careless doctor applied a hot poultice to her eyes. Blinded for life, she developed a phenomenal memory, able to recall Scripture as if she could “turn a little button” in her mind and let the words flow like a melody.
After meeting Christ, that memory became her ministry. She composed more than 9,000 hymns—including Blessed Assurance and To God Be the Glory. When people pitied her, Fanny replied,
“Don’t blame that doctor. If I could meet him, I would tell him he did me the greatest favor in the world.”
She explained, “God did not order that blindness, but He used it in a marvelous way for His glory.”
Fanny understood a truth many forget: God does not always prevent pain, but He always redeems it.
Poet William Cowper wrote,
“The cares of today are seldom the cares of tomorrow; when we lie down at night we may safely say to most of our troubles, ‘You have done your worst, and we shall meet no more.’”
Author Sarah Jewett agreed:
“’Tain’t worthwhile to wear a day all out before it comes.”
And the great Charles Spurgeon used to say,
“Bible verses make good pillows.”
God’s promises are still the best place to rest a weary head.
Peace that Passes Understanding
Jesus repeated, “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow.” (v. 34)
Worry drains today’s strength while borrowing trouble from tomorrow. Faith, however, anchors us in the present—where God’s grace is always sufficient.
In this message, we will learn when anxiety presses in, we must remember:
God provides everything you genuinely need.
God values you more than all creation.
God invites you to trade panic for peace through trust.
The J. C. Penney Story — From Panic to Peace
During the Great Depression, businessman James Cash Penney lost nearly everything—his wealth, health, and hope. Consumed by fear, he checked into a sanitarium, convinced he would die. One sleepless night he heard singing drifting from the chapel:
“Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you.”
Those words pierced his despair. Penney later wrote, “I felt as if I had been instantly lifted out of the darkness into light. “Kneeling beside his bed, J.C. Penney surrendered his life to God. By morning, panic had given way to peace.
That encounter transformed him. He recovered, rebuilt his business, and spent the rest of his life declaring,
“When I lost faith in myself, I found peace in God.”
Friend, panic disorder and anxiety are real—but so is the power of God. The same Lord who calms the raging sea can calm the storm within your soul. Seek first His kingdom, trust His care, and rest in His promises.
The One who feeds the sparrows still watches over you. And when you do, you’ll find—just like Fanny Crosby and J. C. Penney—that peace doesn’t depend on circumstance; it flows from Christ Himself.
