Are You Anxious?
Ashley Chesnut
Today's post was written by Heather Platt, wife of David and mother to Caleb, Joshua, and Mara Ruth. Her post also appears in A Daily Woman's Devotional.
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is it’s own trouble" (Matt. 7:34).
Have you ever been lying awake in bed at night thinking about all the things that could happen in the days or weeks to ahead? You toss and turn, worrying about all the “what if” scenarios until you have worked yourself up into a frenzy, and now you really can’t go back to sleep! This is a struggle in my own life and quite honestly a sin that I have to confess to the Lord often. The Bible has some strong and encouraging words for this problem.
In the beginning of the book of Matthew, we see Jesus teaching, proclaiming the gospel, and performing miracles. As the crowds start to follow him, He sat down on the side of the mountain to teach his followers. In Matthew 6:25 He says, “Do not be anxious about your life” (ESV). In what follows, Jesus compares our lives to those of the birds and the lilies of the field. He points out that since our Father in Heaven takes excellent care of them, we have no reason not to believe that he will take even better care of us, his prized creation! He even reproves them (and us!) and says “O you of little faith” (v. 30 ESV). It’s not that they didn’t have any faith, but simply that they had a deficiency of faith.
So, how do we trust the Lord in times of anxiety? How do we have sufficient faith to believe that God will provide in the midst of the situation that keeps us awake at night? The answer is simple, yet sometimes, I act like it is so complicated. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt 6:33 ESV). Our Father in Heaven knows all of our needs before we can even utter a word. He desires to take our burdens and worries as he softly says, “Trust me, I have this under control.” As we confidently seek Him with all our hearts, He will give us everything we need for today and then he will be right there with us when we face the needs of tomorrow. We have no need to worry.
Oh Lord, I want to seek you with all of my heart. I long for faith today that believes that You will meet my every need according to Your glorious riches. Thank you for being a God that I can trust with my whole life. Amen.
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is it’s own trouble" (Matt. 7:34).
Have you ever been lying awake in bed at night thinking about all the things that could happen in the days or weeks to ahead? You toss and turn, worrying about all the “what if” scenarios until you have worked yourself up into a frenzy, and now you really can’t go back to sleep! This is a struggle in my own life and quite honestly a sin that I have to confess to the Lord often. The Bible has some strong and encouraging words for this problem.
In the beginning of the book of Matthew, we see Jesus teaching, proclaiming the gospel, and performing miracles. As the crowds start to follow him, He sat down on the side of the mountain to teach his followers. In Matthew 6:25 He says, “Do not be anxious about your life” (ESV). In what follows, Jesus compares our lives to those of the birds and the lilies of the field. He points out that since our Father in Heaven takes excellent care of them, we have no reason not to believe that he will take even better care of us, his prized creation! He even reproves them (and us!) and says “O you of little faith” (v. 30 ESV). It’s not that they didn’t have any faith, but simply that they had a deficiency of faith.
So, how do we trust the Lord in times of anxiety? How do we have sufficient faith to believe that God will provide in the midst of the situation that keeps us awake at night? The answer is simple, yet sometimes, I act like it is so complicated. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt 6:33 ESV). Our Father in Heaven knows all of our needs before we can even utter a word. He desires to take our burdens and worries as he softly says, “Trust me, I have this under control.” As we confidently seek Him with all our hearts, He will give us everything we need for today and then he will be right there with us when we face the needs of tomorrow. We have no need to worry.
Oh Lord, I want to seek you with all of my heart. I long for faith today that believes that You will meet my every need according to Your glorious riches. Thank you for being a God that I can trust with my whole life. Amen.
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