Anxiety

I am struck with the ramped up anxiety in the culture right now. We are anxious about conspiracy possibilities, getting sick as governments loosen their grip on society, financial loss, relational breakdowns, kids in or out of school, starting up church again. The list can go on and on. Anxiety is at an all time high. Billy Graham says, “Historians will probably call our era “the age of anxiety”. Anxiety is the natural result when our hopes are centered in anything short of God and His will for us.” Yet the bible says, Philippians 4:6 (NIV) 6  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Telling an anxious person not to be anxious is like trying to hold back a river with your hands.  It is impossible. The water just simply flows around them; then continues on its way. So it is with anxiety. Just willing oneself not to be anxious is futile. Anxiety is a by-product of control or the lack thereof. When life (safety, success, protection, well-being) is totally and completely dependent upon your ability to control your environment, people around you, and/or the future – anxiety will follow you like a CRA agent when you owe taxes. Jesus said, don’t worry in Matthew 6:34. But that only make sense if one reads what went before. God is in control. Anxiety is like what we used to call the idiot light on the dashboard of a car. When this light came on, it told us to check the oil in the engine. Something is wrong. You need to do something other than keep driving. Because if you do not; the whole thing will blow up. So it is with us. When anxiety comes into our life, it is God telling us to check our engine (heart). Who is in control? Is it me or God. There is much we don’t understand, there is even more we cannot control in life. But one thing we can do is to give control of our lives into the hands of God and trust him to take care of us. And he will. That is if we truly trust him. If one will do a study on anxiety in the bible you will find that anxiety followed disobedience to God, when people followed after idols, (like money, or other gods) or when they wanted to control their own destiny.

There is so much uncertainty surrounding our latest stresser in society, namely Covid 19. But know this, one’s anxiety will not make it go away or assist you in dealing with it. But what will help is when we take to heart Philippians 4:6 (NIV) 6  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Let’s break that down a bit.

Prayer – maintain relationship with God our creator and source of goodness.

Petition – ask God for help, every detail.

Thanksgiving – begin to rejoice. This is not an option but a requirement to stop anxiety from oozing into your mind. Begin to: give thanks, rejoice, praise, dance, sing, shout, proclaim God’s goodness and as you do, brick by brick a dam will be constructed keeping out the river of anxiety flooding your mind.

This Sunday, we will be going online again, via Facebook. Please go to my page, Jim Reimer and there you will find it at 10:30 am.

Jim Reimer, Pastor

May 14, 2020