Music Discussions

Don’t You Worry Child

January 24, 2013

Dynamic Image Main Point of Discussion: Our heavenly Father cares deeply for us, so we can take our earthly worries to Him.

Introducing The Song:
In their song, “Don’t You Worry Child,” Swedish House Mafia touches on a widely held epidemic in our society: relieving stress. The song was inspired by Swedish House Mafia’s admiration of Sydney, Australia. “We were at this amazing house in Sydney by the water,” recalled Axwell to MTV News, “and we were trying to take in all the amazingness of Sydney. So we took out a couch and sat in the garden with the ocean view there. And we were like, ‘OK, let’s make something that sounds how this looks.’” The song they generated as a result of that experience tries to do just that.

The Music Video:
The music video can be played for free at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y6smkh6c-0.

Song Lyrics:

Don’t You Worry Child

There was a time
I used to look into my father’s eyes.
In a happy home
I was a king, I had a golden throne.
Those days are gone, now the memories are on the wall.
I hear the songs from the places where I was born.

Upon the hill across the blue lake,
That’s where I had my first heartbreak.
I still remember how it all changed.
My father said,
“Don’t you worry, don’t you worry, child.
See heaven’s got a plan for you.
Don’t you worry, don’t you worry now.”
Yeah!

“Don’t you worry, don’t you worry, child.
See heaven’s got a plan for you.
Don’t you worry, don’t you worry now.”
Yeah!

There was a time
I met a girl of a different kind.
We ruled the world,
I thought I’d never lose her out of sight.
We were so young, I think of her now and then.
I still hear the songs reminding me of a friend.

Upon the hill across the blue lake,
That’s where I had my first heartbreak.
I still remember how it all changed.
My father said,
“Don’t you worry, don’t you worry, child.
See heaven’s got a plan for you.
Don’t you worry, don’t you worry now.”
Yeah!

Oh, oh, oh!
Oh, oh, oh!

See heaven’s got a plan for you
See heaven’s got a plan for you
See heaven’s got a plan for you

“Don’t you worry, don’t you worry, child.
See heaven’s got a plan for you.
Don’t you worry, don’t you worry now.”
Yeah!

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! [3x]
Yeah!

Transitional Statement:
If I asked you to fill in the blank with the statement “Sometimes I worry about ______________”, most if not all people would have no trouble coming up with at least one or two areas of life or circumstances that are causing stress. “Don’t You Worry Child” is a great reminder of a Biblical perspective that originates in Jesus’ teachings: our heavenly Father cares deeply for us, so we can take our earthly worries to Him. Let’s take a few moments to look at the Bible so we can ground ourselves in this truth before we return to our regular lives of worry and regret and stress.

Divide into Small Groups: Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

AROUND THE CIRCLE: Before we dive in, everybody take a second to share your name and one thing you worried about as a little child.

ASK A FEW: Has your stress level and your worries changed as you’ve gotten older? If so, how?

ASK A FEW: Why do you think Swedish House Mafia wrote this song from the perspective of a father?

ASK A FEW: What are the main sources of a typical person’s worries?

ASK A FEW: In what ways can you relate to this song?

ASK A FEW: What is the relationship between ‘heaven has a plan for you’ and ‘don’t you worry child’?

ASK A FEW: How do you typically handles stress and/or worry?

Read the following passage from the Bible:

Matthew 6:25-34

“Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you’ll eat or what you’ll drink, or about your body, what you’ll wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t sow seed or harvest grain or gather crops into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are? Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life?

And why do you worry about clothes? Notice how the lilies in the field grow. They don’t wear themselves out with work, and they don’t spin cloth. But I say to you that even Solomon in all of his splendor wasn’t dressed like one of these. If God dresses grass in the field so beautifully, even though it’s alive today and tomorrow it’s thrown into the furnace, won’t God do much more for you, you people of weak faith?

Therefore, don’t worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ Gentiles long for all these things. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. Instead, desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

ASK A FEW: What are the things that the people in Jesus’ day worried about? (Leaders – Many of them didn’t know if they would even have food or clothes. They also worried about foreign invasion. They were worried about corrupt leaders. Further, they struggled with diseases we’ve long since cured. In other words, they worried about very different things than you and I.)

ASK A FEW: Are there some of the parallels between “Don’t You Worry Child” and Jesus’ teachings? If so, what are they?

ASK A FEW: Why does Jesus use the example of birds and flowers to teach people about worry?

ASK A FEW: Why does Jesus define a person who worries as someone with ‘weak faith’?

ASK A FEW: Based on this passage, does it sound like ‘heaven has a plan’ for us? Why or why not?

ASK A FEW: How does worry take our eyes off what is important in life?

ASK A FEW: Can God be trusted with our physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual needs? Why or why not?

ASK A FEW: What does Jesus mean when He says “tomorrow will worry about itself”?

AROUND THE CIRCLE: Have you ever taken a worry/stress to Jesus in prayer? If so, how did it turn out?

AROUND THE CIRCLE: What do you need to trust Him with right now?

Wrap Up:
Worry has been around since the beginning of time, but isn’t it great to be reminded both by Swedish House Mafia and the teachings of Jesus that we have a Father that loves us and promises to take care of us? Let’s wrap things up by getting more specific and personal with this truth

Put students in pairs and pass out the “Bible 911” sheet below and give students some time to look up specific passages that will help them with their future worries.

Bible 911

When in sorrow, call John 14.

When friends fail you, call Psalm 27.

If you want to be stay connected to Christ, call John 15.

When you have sinned, call Psalm 51.

When you worry, call Matthew 6:19-34.

When you are in danger, call Psalm 91.

When God seems far away, call Psalm 139.

When you lack love, call 1 Cor. 13.

When you want peace and rest, call Matt. 11:25-30.

When the world seems bigger than God, call Psalm 90.

When you want assurance, call Romans 8:1-30.

When you want courage, call Joshua 1.

If you are depressed, call Psalm 27.

If you are broke, call Psalm 37.

If you are losing confidence in people, call 1 Cor. 13.

If people seem unkind, call John 15.

If discouraged about your work, call Psalm 126.

Close in Prayer:
Encourage the students to come and talk to you or another leader about their worries and concerns. Spend some time praying and asking God to help these truths sink in and become a part of our lives.

Written by Lane Palmer