Don't Overthink It

“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” — Matthew 6:27 (NIV)

Overthinking is a subtle thief. It often disguises itself as responsibility, preparedness, or wisdom. But underneath, it drains peace, amplifies fear, and keeps us stuck. Scripture consistently calls us to a different way of living—one marked by trust, simplicity, and surrender.

Worry never adds to our lives; it only subtracts. It shrinks our world until the problem becomes all we can see, overshadowing the God who stands above it. Worry feels productive, but it accomplishes nothing. It doesn’t extend life, improve outcomes, or solve problems. It simply exhausts us. Overthinking is like running on a treadmill—lots of motion, no progress.

When worry fills our vision, everything else fades. A small object held close to the eye suddenly looks enormous, even though it hasn’t changed size. In the same way, “what ifs” distort our perspective until God’s presence feels distant. They start as small, anxious possibilities—What if this goes wrong? What if I can’t handle that? What if God doesn’t come through the way I hope?—but they grow until they dominate our mental landscape. When we let them run unchecked, they distort our perspective. 

Over time, those swirling uncertainties can make God’s presence feel distant—not because He has moved, but because our focus has drifted. Anxiety narrows our vision until all we can see are potential threats, and in that tunnel vision, the steady, reassuring nearness of God becomes harder to perceive. The “what ifs” become louder than the “God is.”

Peace doesn’t come from figuring everything out. It comes from focusing on the One who already has everything figured out. Worry forces us to live tomorrow’s challenges with today’s strength, which is why we feel overwhelmed. It drains us twice—once in imagination, once in reality. When we release overthinking, we reclaim the mental and emotional space God designed for joy, clarity, creativity, and rest.

We often assume peace is something we earn after solving every problem or securing every outcome. But that kind of peace is fragile—it depends on circumstances behaving perfectly. Scripture offers a different peace, one rooted not in our understanding but in God’s faithfulness. Peace isn’t found in certainty; it’s found in Christ.

Our perspective will always be limited. We see a moment; God sees the whole story. That’s why Proverbs instructs us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) Peace doesn’t come from understanding everything—it comes from shifting our weight off of it. Peace grows where trust grows.

We often think, “If I just knew why this is happening, I’d feel better.” But God offers something better than explanations—He offers Himself. Paul writes: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7). This is peace that doesn’t depend on answers.

Overthinking is exhausting because it places us in a role we were never meant to fill—our own savior, protector, and provider. When we try to mentally control every outcome, we carry burdens that belong to God. We don’t need to figure everything out because God already has. He sees the path ahead, knows the outcome, and holds the details we strain to understand. Our job is not to solve the future; it’s to trust the One who stands in it.

Whatever we focus on grows. When we fixate on the problem, it expands. When we fix our eyes on God, His presence becomes larger in our awareness. Isaiah says it again: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Peace isn’t the result of mental mastery—it’s the fruit of spiritual focus.

We spend so much energy trying to secure what hasn’t happened yet. We analyze, predict, and rehearse every scenario, hoping to avoid pain or guarantee success. But the future is not a puzzle God asked us to solve. It’s a place He has already prepared. Overthinking often springs from the fear of making the wrong move, but God doesn’t expect flawless navigation—He expects faithful following. “The Lord directs the steps of the righteous.” (Psalm 37:23)

The future is not a problem to decode; it’s a promise to walk into. God never asked us to be strategists of the unknown. He asked us to trust Him. “For I know the plans I have for you…” (Jeremiah 29:11). Notice the emphasis: He knows. We don’t have to. The future is not a riddle in our hands—it’s a plan in His.

When God gives a promise, it’s not an invitation to stress but an invitation to trust. Abraham wasn’t given a map—only a direction: “Go… to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1). God didn’t give him details; He gave him Himself. And that was enough.  The beauty of God’s promises is not only what He prepares but that He walks with us as we enter them. The future is secure because the God who holds it never changes.

One of the most comforting truths in Scripture is that God’s promises are never delivered from a distance. He doesn’t simply point us toward a destination and say, “Good luck.” He goes with us. He goes before us. He surrounds us. His promises are not just about places—they’re about presence.

When God leads, He doesn’t hand us a map; He offers us Himself. His promises are rooted in relationship. That’s why He told Moses: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14). The promise wasn’t merely a land flowing with milk and honey. The promise was "my presence will go with you".

Blessings, opportunities, open doors, and answered prayers are wonderful. But the greatest gift is that God doesn’t send us into them alone. He accompanies us into every new season, every unknown, every challenge.  Even the most beautiful future would feel overwhelming if we had to face it without Him. But with Him, even uncertain paths become safe.

 

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Pastor Godwin, FBC Danvers