Why are you Anxious?
Anxiety. Everyone’s experienced it. Ask the child who gets bullied at school, the teenager who compares herself to others on social media, the college student preparing for exams, the young professional striving for a promotion, parents caring for an injured or sick child, and the elderly facing significant health issues. Anxiety is one of the top reasons people seek counsel. Books abound on the topic. And today it’s considered an epidemic, both in the United States and around the world. When you hear the word anxiety what do you think about? Specifically, what makes you anxious?
Anxiety is not new. In fact, the Bible addresses anxiety, which begins in the heart. In the Bible the heart includes our emotions, will, and mind. Since Jesus taught about anxiety in His famous Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), let’s examine what He had to say about it with the aim to understand why we’re anxious and what we can do about it.
Jesus exhorts us to not be anxious, “do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on” (Matt. 6:25). Jesus doesn’t want us to be anxious about the needs of daily living, such as food, clothing and shelter. Earlier in His sermon He had taught us to pray to the Father for such needs, “Give us this day our daily bread” (v. 10). By asking a question Jesus reminds us that life is about more than these bare necessities, “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” While Jesus doesn’t deny these are basic needs, He reminds us that to worry about such things robs us of the life He has for us. We cannot glorify God and enjoy our relationship with Him if we’re anxious about food and clothing. These concerns are meant to lead us to God in humble dependence upon His provision and care.
To encourage us against anxiety, Jesus tells us to “look at the birds of the air” and observe how our “heavenly Father feeds them” even though they aren’t gathering food and storing it for tomorrow (Matt. 6:26). The argument is from the lesser to the greater. If our heavenly Father cares for the birds, how much more will He care for us. To reveal that anxiety can’t give life Jesus asks another probing question, “which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (v. 27). The answer is No one. This is true with regard to our loved ones as well. We can’t extend the lifespan of our family, friends or neighbors by worrying about them.
In analyzing why we are anxious about items like clothing, Jesus tells us to “consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Matt. 6:28-29). Again, the argument moves from the lesser to the greater. If our heavenly Father lavishes the lilies with glory, how much more will He clothe us, “if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith” (v. 30). It is futile to anxiously seek after the things that our heavenly Father already knows we need. Instead, we are to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (v. 33). Then we will find that He makes provision for our daily needs, “and all these things will be added to you” (v. 33).
Although it is easy to look ahead and feel anxiety about decisions or deadlines that loom in the future, Jesus tells us not to live like that. Since each day has “its own trouble” we should “not be anxious about tomorrow” (Matt. 6:34). Jesus knows we are frail and weak. We can’t handle looking ahead in this world filled with brokenness and trials. He simply asks us to take one day at a time, looking to God to supply all our needs. He is present with us and He provides for us.
The next time you find yourself getting anxious, stop and pray. Take your requests to God and rest in His peace (Phil. 4:6-7). Times of anxiety are opportunities to “humble yourselves…under the mighty hand of God…casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:6-7). Remember Psalm 94:19, “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” Think of that. God comforts His anxious people. In turn, let us comfort those around us who are feeling anxious (2 Cor. 1:3-4).
Sarah Ivill (ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary) is a Reformed author, wife, homeschooling mom, Bible study teacher, and conference speaker who lives in Matthews, North Carolina, and is a member of Christ Covenant Church (PCA). To learn more, please visit www.sarahivill.com.
