Anxious for No Thing
Philippians is known as the book of joy. To understand the concept “Fullness of Joy”, the Apostle Paul correlates it with the parallel: “Be anxious for nothing.”
The world we live in demands attention 24/7. Have you checked on the news today? What is the forecast for the days to come? Do you feel unprepared? I know I have fallen for this trap more than once. There certainly is plenty to worry about in these uncertain times, proving the Word of God true to us every time we focus on all the different problems we see, “In this world, we will have trouble.” It is just as true when we fix our eyes on Jesus, “Take heart, for I have overcome the world.”
A Scripture we will always hold close to our hearts in times of hardships is 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
Anxiety is the result of projecting my version of “fixes” on the future. When we see that the plans we’ve made are frustrated, we then try to fix them according to our desires. God often has other things in mind – things that are ultimately for our benefit within His purposes, even though it may not seem to meet our version of a fix. Truth is, anxious living is a sin, because it denies God’s sovereignty.
The problem with anxiety is not only that it serves no purpose and it causes us to displace priorities. The real issue is that anxiety ignores God’s care for us – it disrupts the confidence in God’s provision.
“Casting our anxiety” does not mean throwing problems and worries to God in prayer – I mean, it’s way more than that. It is the by-product of the previous verse: “Humble yourselves, therefore, to the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you.”
To humble ourselves is the key of being able to cast our anxieties, that is, acknowledging our need of God and His ability to do way more than we can imagine.
We often think that dealing with anxiety has to do with a future problem. Make no mistake, it’s a pride problem that we’re having in our present. Life is not in our control; it is in His – that should take our stress away!
To cast our anxieties on Him means to transfer, to abandon all of our pride. God is completely capable of taking care of us, even more importantly, He wants to!
He is the “Great I Am”, and knowing that should bring comfort to our lack of understanding, to the missing pieces we cannot see, to all the afflictions we may face – He is the fullness of our joy!
I thought about sharing what I was worrying about before I prayed that night – the night I was overwhelmed with this world. It all seemed too much. My shoulders were carrying a burden and I had lost all my joy.
Turns out, it was nothing – “no thing” memorable to be anxious for.