Anxiety has been described as “a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all others thoughts are drained” (Arthur S. Roche). Anxiety can ruin our happiness and health. But, more importantly, it can adversely affect our relationship with the Lord. Left unchecked, anxiety overwhelms our thoughts and behaviors to the point where we become its slave.
Jesus spoke a lot about anxiety. Some may reason that life was so simple then that they did not have nearly so much to worry about as do those living in our day. But each period of time has its own set of concerns. These may vary from group to group and from culture to culture, but who is so bold as to say that our concerns are greater than those who lived before us? The concerns of those to whom Jesus spoke related to such essentials as food and clothing while our concerns often relate to non-essentials and trivialities. Jesus emphasizes trust as the key issue, saying, “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” (Mt. 6:26). If God takes care of the birds and clothes the lilies of the field, will He not also take care of those who place their trust in Him?
Worry is a horrible waste of time. Jesus says, “and which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span?” (Mt. 6:27). Even if what we worry about comes to pass, our worry will not have helped us handle the problem. Personal experience teaches us that our worries often prove to be groundless. Afterwards, we feel foolish because we have wasted so much time and energy rather than placing our trust in God.
Jesus reminds us to take one day at a time. How simple, but how true! Jesus says that “tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Mt. 6:34). All we can handle is today. We can plan for tomorrow, but we can only live in the present. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He said, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Mt. 6:11). Perhaps, there is a lesson in this for all of us. We must not let worry about tomorrow keep us from living today.
When our trust is in the Lord and our primary concern for spiritual matters, Jesus says that God will provide the essentials of life. In Matthew 6:33, He says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” God keeps His promises; but, we must learn to place our trust in Him.
— Glen Elliott —