Who doesn’t experience Anxiety in this life? It is more common to humanity than any of us care to admit. No one is exempt. We are anxious about what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen. Anxiety is a thief that steals our peace and enjoyment in life. We worry about outcomes, whether they will be good or bad. We worry about people—our friends, family, and ourselves. We worry about our health and our money. These feelings of Anxiety come from a host of different reasons, from things not going our way to being mistreated, insulted, or neglected. Interestingly, the older we get, the more Anxiety we are prone to experience.
Jesus told us not to worry: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ( Matthew 6:25). Jesus’ words are profound! Life has to be more—it has to have meaning and purpose, God-given purpose. We know that God put each of us here for a reason.
Anxiety is nothing new, because Solomon, in his book of Ecclesiastes, gives us some good advice on how to lessen it. Solomon said, “So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 11:10). He knows from experience that our world, in its broken state, brings us loss and many troubles. He tells us to cast off these troubles. In other words, rather than dwelling on what has happened to us, which usually perpetuates the problem, cast it off by giving it to God. Peter also tells us: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
The prophet Isaiah had some things to say about Anxiety: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). We will never know true peace unless we repent of our sins and find God’s forgiveness. The Christian life is one of quiet trust in God’s strength. God will take care of us. We may face difficult times ahead, but he will be with us. God gives us light in our darkness: “when his lamp shone on my head and by his light I walked through darkness!” (Job 29:3).
Isaiah says, “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore, he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! (Isaiah 30:18). It is not always easy to trust God and allow him to calm our hearts, but this is the only way we will truly experience peace without Anxiety.
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