Are You Feeling Anxious?

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 20th of October, 2024.  A recording of our service should be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams.]

Are you feeling anxious?  Are you worried about where our country is going, or what direction it might take with the upcoming elections?  Does all the talk of wars and hostility bother you?  What about the higher prices for everything?

There’s a lot going on in this weary world that can keep us up at night, wondering what tomorrow might bring.  So if any of this worries you, you are not alone.  But I have to ask, will our worry, our concern, our anxiety, or our sleepless nights change anything?

You’ve likely heard the expression, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”  Or how about, “There’s nothing new under the sun”?

When you get right down to it, when it comes to being anxious, not much has changed since the days Jesus walked this earth.  Yes, the causes of our fears may be more potent and ever-present, but people back then worried about some of the same things we do, like being able to pay our taxes and having enough to eat.  As Jesus’ fame spread and grew, so did the group of more powerful enemies - a cause of great concern for His disciples.  Their worries must have become more and more evident to Him, since He addressed the subject in front of them and a great multitude that had gathered to hear the Nazarene teach.  In fact, this comes from about the middle of what many consider the most important speech Jesus ever gave - His Sermon on the Mount.

Please listen and follow along to the words of wisdom and encouragement spoken by our Lord Jesus and recorded by His Apostle Matthew in the 6th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 19 through 21 and verses 25 through 34, and I’ll be reading from the New American Standard Bible this morning…

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? 27 And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span? 28 And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

--Matthew 6:19-21; 25-34 (NASB)

Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, we thank You for being in control of this world and watching over all that is going on around us.  We may not understand why You allow some things to happen, especially to good people, but we trust You, Father, and we know that You are doing what is best for us and Your Son’s church.  Sadly though, Father, we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders and we worry about the future.  We are just too often beaten down and wearied by all the lies and evilness filling our days and our resolve weakens.  Forgive us these times, Father.  Please help us not feel so anxious all the time, especially over things we can’t control or affect.  And help us be more obedient to You and Your Son’s command to spread Your word and the Good News it bears.  Give us the courage and the will to step out into the world witnessing to the non-believers, sharing the Gospel and showing Your love.  Please forgive us when we hesitate to speak and act on behalf of You and our Lord Jesus out of fear or anxiety.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand Your message today.  Help us share the Good News of forgiveness and everlasting life in our daily walk.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Dr. E. Stanley Jones, in his book Transformed by Thorns – I love that title – Dr. Jones writes, “I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear.  Fear is not my native land; faith is.  I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil.  I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety.  In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath -- these are not my native air.  But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely -- these are my native air.  A John Hopkins University doctor says, ‘We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non-worriers, but that is a fact.’  But I, who am simple of mind, think I know.  We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear.  God made us that way.  To live by worry is to live against reality.”

Worry is the fruit of our fear.  Our faith is our greatest shield against worry.  By faith, we can walk on water.  But when we take our focus off Jesus, our faith falters, our fear rises, and we sink beneath a sea of worry.

We are made for faith, not fear.  God made us this way.  So in the words of that great philosopher, Bobby McFerrin: Don’t worry, be happy.  OK, being happy in some situations may prove quite difficult, but we can strive to not worry so much.

Our scripture reading opens with Jesus telling us not to work so hard at acquiring possessions – treasures – here on earth, instead striving for our heavenly reward.  In other words, we shouldn’t worry about what we have or don’t have in this life.  God will provide for our needs, and that’s what’s really important.

Think about the birds.  They don’t work the fields, plant crops, reap a harvest.  They don’t even run to the grocery store once a week.  But they have food and water provided to them.  Closer to home, consider the folks in the mountains who were so harshly impacted by the hurricane.  Some lost everything, but then help began pouring in, both from the government and from ordinary citizens, many inspired by God and the compassion He gives us.  Their immediate needs are starting to be met, if slowly.  But worrying about where the next meal may come from or whether replacement clothes will be available won’t put food on their table or a shirt on their back.

Worry won’t help a thing.  We just need to keep our focus on God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and everything will be taken care of in the long run.

It’s easy to say those two words, “Don’t worry”, but much more difficult to put them into practice.  We all have our moments, we all have something we’re concerned about, something we worry over.  Some of us, though, worry too much, and over the least significant things.

Rather than fixing things, worry can have the opposite effect, causing us problems both physical and emotional.  Increased anxiety levels can result in higher heart rates and increased gastric acid production, literally eating away at our guts and lowering our life span.  As Dr. Jones noted in my earlier illustration, worriers die sooner than non-worriers.  Worry also affects our mood, dampening our social interactions.  It’s just not a good thing to do.

So how do we stop?  How can we keep from worrying, especially in a world full of troubles and confusion, with soaring prices on the basic necessities, with war and disease constant threats?

Let’s see if our Bible has an answer.  Please listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote in the first six verses of the 2nd chapter of his 1st letter to his young protégé Timothy…

1 First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to the recognition of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

--1 Timothy 2:1-6 (NASB)

When we feel worrisome, when anxiety begins to rise, we can pray.  Whatever our concern, we can give it to God.  He will help us lead a tranquil and quiet life if we just put all our trust in Him and His provenance.  The universe is His, and all within it, including the things that cause us worry.  So when we feel anxious, we need to give it all to God and pray for the strength and courage to face each new day.

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and our needs will be seen to.  Jesus promised it.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for giving us faith, compassion, and the capacity to love.  Through these we can surmount whatever this life throws at us.  We need worry for nothing, for You are our provision.  But sometimes, Father, we still struggle with all the craziness we see around us, both locally and globally, the damage and desolation from the storms and from wars, all the cruelty and corruption, all the evilness, and it worries us and fills us with dread.  Sometimes we just have trouble letting go of our worries and anxieties, our fears and misgivings.  Please forgive us these times, Father.  Forgive us when we let the world tells us what to do and how to act.  Please help us reach out more into the world, serving You by serving others.  Help us be more like Your Son Jesus, being more forgiving and merciful in our dealings with others.  Please strengthen our spirits to do Your will and help us do a better job of sharing Jesus with others so that they too may be saved by Your mercy and His sacrifice.  

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You gave us a job to do, and You even showed us how to go about doing it.  You were fearless in Your actions, words, and deeds.  And You encourage us not to be afraid, not to worry, for worrying cannot benefit us in any way.  Please help us be more like You, more considerate and caring of others, more understanding, more merciful, more giving and forgiving.  And heal the hurts that still separate and divide us one from another.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.