Never Worried about Who?
- Jay S. Lowder
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
It would be astonishing to find anyone living in the middle of World War II who was not worried about Hitler. And that would especially be the case in Great Britain, where the threat of a Nazi invasion loomed so large. But the “Good Doctor,” as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (MLJ) was known, was indeed never worried.
I was never worried for a second about a man like Hitler; it was enough for me to read the thirty-seventh Psalm, and there I read of a man like him spreading himself like a green bay tree, a sort of colossus striding the whole earth. But I read on and learned that a day came when a man wanted to see him and speak with him, but he could not find him. He searched everywhere for him; he could not find any trace of him; he had vanished. Why? God had blown upon him. [1]
He was simply practicing what he preached - anxiety-eliminating meditation. He preached more than 1,600 sermons across his 41 years of ministry, but as both a medical doctor and a renowned verse-by-verse expository preacher, he specialized in applying God’s spiritual medicine to the hurting human soul. He knew anxiety was not just a hindrance, but a deadly force:
“Worry, after all, is a definite entity; it is a force, a power, and we have not begun to understand it until we realize what a tremendous power it is… Worry is something positive that comes and grips us and takes control of us. It is a mighty power, an active force, and if we do not realize that, we are certain to be defeated by it.”[2]
You should read as much of his wonderful wisdom as you can, especially his classic - Spiritual Depression. His books and collections of sermons are still in print. And the Martyn Lloyd-Jones Trust has over 1,600 of his sermons for your benefit. But specifically, how can the Good Doctor’s “application of biblical truths " help you in your battle against worry? First, worry is fought with meditation on God’s word. And that meditation is the violent seizure of your runaway thoughts:
“Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? And then you must go on to remind yourself of God, Who God is, and what God is and what God has done, and what God has pledged to do.”[3]
You cannot just ignore worry, for you have to overwhelm those thoughts with wonderful thoughts of God!
Second, we have to know the trajectories of God’s word. MLJ knew that from the beginning many antichrists (lowercase “a”) had arisen (1 John 2:18), attempting to establish “their kingdom” against God’s kingdom and rule on earth. They never win! It might be a short time or a long time (to us), but God brings them down the mighty by his powerful hand, like those before: Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Rome, … D.A. Carson writes: "Often we demand immediate answers from God. But God took twelve years to bring down Hitler, seventy to bring down the Russian empire, two centuries to humble the British Empire."[4] MLJ knew that the persecution of the Jews and the arrogant pride of Hitler would bring God’s judgment – likely soon!
Third, he knew that meditation was the key to experiencing the most comforting truth – God with us. You might need to meditate (and memorize) on the reassurance of Psalm 23 that God is with us. Or personalize and cling to the promise of our Lord Jesus: “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 ESV). MLJ wrote, “You need never be anxious, you must never be worried. God is with you in this state; you are not alone, and He is your Father.”[5]
May we be the unanxious witnesses in a world of worry and woe, that our hope would draw unbelievers to God (1 Peter 3:15) and the eyes of worried believers upward again!
Note: MJL’s decision not to worry did not mean that he did not care about Hitler’s atrocities or the outcome of the war. He understood what was at stake and supported that “just war.” We can fight against worry and still be deeply involved in the fight for good over evil and the expansion of God’s Kingdom (Matthew 6:33). God is never worried and always at peace, yet always working in innumerable ways!
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[1] D. Martyn-Lloyd Jones, Romans: Exposition of Chapter 1 – The Gospel of God (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1985), 97.
[2] D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Second edition (England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1976), 463.
[3] Richard D. Phillips, Zechariah, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Iain M. Duguid, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2007), 280.
[4] D. A. Carson, For the Love of God: A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God’s Word, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1998), 165.
[5] D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Second edition (England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1976), 458.
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