The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, war in Afghanistan and a deepening recession, added to all the problems carried over from the last century, certainly give people cause to worry.

The year 2002 looks set to be a continuation of 2001. Terrorism is not likely to go away, nor is the recession and, even if war in Afghanistan is finally over (after more than two decades of continuing conflict for that sad land), there will no doubt be other wars demanding our attention.

In addition to worries about the world in which we live, there are the more personal problems that we all have to worry about. Worries about health (which worrying only makes worse), about family and friends, about our appearance and our finances.

Yet Christians are told not to worry.

In my New King James Version of the Bible, "Do Not Worry" is the subheading for a passage of Scripture in Matthew's gospel, chapter 6, verses 25-34. This is just one of the many edifying messages that we find in the Sermon on the Mount.

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" (verse 25).

These words were spoken almost 2,000 years ago, yet they are as timely as if they had been spoken yesterday.

"Do not worry about your life...." Yes, terrorists will attack again, somewhere, sometime. By its very nature, terrorism strikes when and where we least expect it. And yes, each of us could be a victim. What lesson can we learn from this? The answer is quite simple: We need to be spiritually and physically ready at any moment to "meet our Maker," as the old expression put it.

Jesus goes on to tell us not to worry about "what you will eat or what you will drink...." In a time of steadily rising unemployment, this too causes many to worry. The next verse reassures us on this point. "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

Worries "about your body" afflict millions of people in today's world with its constant emphasis on personal appearance. Eating disorders are one of the plagues of our age. The media's constant message that "thin is in" is so repetitive that everybody is affected by it. The result is that most people have a negative view of their own appearance. The key to changing this is to look at ourselves as God looks at us and not to be overly concerned about what others think.

As Jesus said, when it comes to your body, "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?" (verse 27). There's only so much we can do. Drawing closer to God is something we can all do, "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).

"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (verses 28-30).

Here we learn that our worries reflect a deeper problem--that we lack faith. Again, we are reminded of the need for a closer relationship with our heavenly Father. This is a faithless age. We live in a totally hedonistic society, whose values are all materialistic, purely physical. The solution is clearly spiritual.

"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles [unbelievers] seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things" (verses 31-32).

Then we read one of the greatest promises in the Bible. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (verse 33). It's a conditional promise. We must do our part, seeking first God's Kingdom through prayer and the study of His Word. If we do this, we needn't worry about the physical.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (verse 34). Much of our anxious thought and worry is about what may happen--tomorrow, next week, next month, the new year. There's enough to think about today--why worry about what might be? Most of our worries never come to pass anyway, so why do we worry?

Let's remember in 2002 to focus on seeking God's Kingdom first. If we do this, gradually we will find that our worries will go away. The spiritual will fill the emptiness caused by worry about the physical.