Do Not Be Anxious

 

            We live in possibly one of the most anxious times ever. You turn on the news or open your phone and you are instantly hit with news of catastrophes from all over the world. Maybe you open your bank account and wonder how you’ll make it to the end of the month. Or maybe you’re unable to find peace in your own home. Whatever the reason is, you probably struggle with some sort of anxiety, whether it is simply daily worries or even a diagnosis of it. However you put it, fear has infiltrated our lives, making us constantly stress and worry.

              Personally, I am one who constantly deals with anxiety due to life and the struggles that come with it. I have a mother and an emotional support dog to prove it (which I fear might have accidentally developed separation anxiety. Even my dog has it). If you’re anything like me, these stresses have worn you down, made you go to frantic lengths, only to come short due to things out of your hands. Maybe you’ve lost sleep or your appetite as well due to being so stressed, something I’ve dealt with as well. It’s almost as if this world constantly wishes to keep you paralyzed in a state of fear.

              Matthew 6:25-34 is probably the most quoted passage when it comes to worry. To paraphrase Jesus, He tells us there is no need to worry since we are worth more than what we worry about and that our heavenly Father takes care of the birds and the flowers, so how much more will He take care of us? Jesus finishes this by saying “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34, ESV). He’s basically telling us to simply take it one day at a time. To go even further, the Bible says “do not fear” 365 times. Once for each day, a reminder to not worry (Just repeat one for a leap day). So the bible says constantly not to worry. Why is that such a big deal? You’ve probably heard that worrying is a sin. That’s not really the case. Worry is a natural thing and good sometimes, such as using caution in dangerous situations. However, excessive worry has a sinful root that goes much deeper. That root is lack of trust in God, a lack of faith in His promises. And that, my friend, is where the issue lies.

              Now don’t think I’m beating you over the head about not having enough trust in God. I’m just as guilty, if not more, of this. I worry over finances, my family, whether my friends like me, my future career, and God help the man that will marry me one day (whoever he is) because I will more than likely worry about our home and finances and children. But when it comes down to the root of the problem, I can’t help but get convicted. Why do I struggle to trust God? I think the issue is not fully seeing God for who He is. This is something I’ve recently been dealing with, going from knowing God is good and love to truly knowing Him as good and love and that I can trust Him. I love the quote from Jackie Hill Perry’s book Holier Thou Art, that I recently started reading. It said “If God is holy, then He can’t sin. If God can’t sin, then He can’t sin against me. If He can’t sin against me, shouldn’t that make Him the most trustworthy being there is?” God reminds us so many times to not worry and to trust Him because there is no better person to trust than Him.

              And it’s not like He doesn’t understand the issues causing us to worry. He came down in the flesh as Jesus Christ and went through every trial we have, yet without sin. Christ knows what it is like to have people dislike you, to have nothing to eat, to have to rely on God’s goodness every day. He walks with you through the trials that make you worry and sympathizes with you. Not only that, but He asks you to give that worry to Him. Later in Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Anxiety definitely makes one heavy-laden. God wants us to bring those worries to Him, as He is the best one to bring them to, as earlier stated, His holiness makes him the most trustworthy person ever. Not only that, but God delights when we give Him our worries and allow His love to overtake them (for more on the heart of God, I highly recommend reading Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortland). When we allow God, through the Holy Spirit, to fill us with His love, when we take up the yoke of Christ and give Him our worries, He will give us rest and peace.

              That’s nice, but what does that look like? Paul tells us what to do about this in one of my favorite verses, Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Peter echoes this in 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” Why should we bring our worries to God? Because He cares for you. God is not one to look down on you for not trusting Him. He is not one to get onto us every time we fall.  And He is not one that looks at our suffering with a cold heart. No, our sufferings, whether caused by ourselves or the world, move Him to help us. And when that suffering is anxiety, it moves Him to bring peace and rest for us. By bringing our worries to God, by praying about them, God will bring us peace about it, assuring us that He is in control and that He works all things for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28). Prayer doesn’t change God’s mind, it changes our will and allows us to personally know Him for who He says He is through His word.

              Once again, all of this talk about not worrying is easier said than done. But as you bring it to God and allow His love through His holy spirit to fill you, the worry will become less, even if the situation does not. Of course, asking others to pray over your situations and talking about them with trusted loved ones always helps too, as God has given us community through His church. Either way, let this be a reminder that God loves you, like really loves you. I’ll leave you with Matthew 7:7-11 as a reminder of how the Lord will take care of you and give you peace:

              “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”