Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained. — Arthur Somers Roche
Today, the thin stream of fear Arthur Roche wrote about has become a rushing river fed by an ever-increasing number of tributaries: Covid-19, racial unrest, demonstrations, riots, increasing crime rates, record unemployment, distance learning, shutdowns, a record number of Atlantic hurricanes, thousands of acres aflame in the West, the rise in cases of depression and suicide, conflict related to replacement of Justice Ginsberg—not to mention a presidential election, the outcome of which will be unsettling to nearly half of all Americans—It seems as if there is no end to the list of things we might worry about—and this doesn’t even include the day-to-day family issues.
This morning Bonnie and I were reading from Revelations. When I noticed our cat playing with a baby grasshopper that had found his way into our home, I quickly checked to make sure it wasn’t a locust.
Maybe you are one of those people who are anxious about being anxious. “I’m a Christian,” you may say. “I’m not supposed to feel anxious.”
Give yourself a break. Anxiety is a normal reaction to what life throws at us. David wrote about it in Psalm 139: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Psalm 139:23 (NLT)
Anxiety is mentioned in Ecclesiastes: What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? Ecclesiastes 2:22 (NIV)
Jesus even suggested there would be plenty to be anxious about. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
Anyone who isn’t somewhat anxious either isn’t paying attention or, perhaps, they are more skilled at prioritizing. They are like the man, who when asked, “How do you eat an elephant?” responded, “One bite at a time.”
An even better answer to the question “How do you eat an elephant?” might be, “You don’t. You only put things on your menu you can digest. Everything else you turn over to God.”
The apostle Paul linked the ability to avoid worrying about “anything” with the practice of praying about “everything.” Notice, the apostle did not say, “Only pray about the thing that is bothering you the most.” He said, “Pray about everything.”
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
The Passion Translation expands on the thought:
Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:6 (TPT)
Want to dry up those streams of fear trickling through your brain? Remove them from your menu of things to worry about by earnestly turning them over to God. Anything (or anyone) that causes you to lose sleep, lose confidence, lose your temper, or lose your faith belongs in God’s hands, not yours.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
Blessings,
Don & Bonnie Sennott
Authors of Your Heart is an Open Book: Finding Answers in God’s Word
Flickr image by Topher McCulloch
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