Be anxious about nothing

By Jennifer Moreno

In this world that we live in, we’re constantly surrounded by the fast paced way of living. People walk around anxious, anxious about the future, anxious for money, anxious and eager for success and status, but none of it matters nor does it bring you peace.

In Galatians 4:6-14 the apostle Paul demonstrates what we should do to avoid falling into this cycle of thinking, to avoid this futile thinking that will give us no results. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

There is a lot of wisdom to this quote, what it is saying is that as believers we shouldn’t walk in constant fear and worry, instead we should draw near to G-d for spiritual stability and confidence that He is listening to our cries.

We must remember that when we draw near to the Lord, not only does He hear us but He is able to provide help and strength.

Did you know that Scripture calls worry a sin? Worrying is basically saying to G-d I don’t trust in your plan. Being worried all the time eventually makes us irritable and hard to get along with because of the inner pressures we’ve allowed to build up inside. Paul commands us to let go of this worry. He’s not saying  that there are not reasons to worry, but he is saying that believers are to avoid this subtle sin that eventually weakens our spirit.

If we worry, we will be constantly consumed by that problem in our lives. We’re highlighting the problem so much we forget to be in communion with the Lord and we forget about His promise to us.

Jeremiah 29:11 says “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”

When Jesus was here on earth he passed on this advice to his twelve apostles.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?’” (Luke 12:22-26).

The Bible doesn’t say that it is wrong to acknowledge the reality of the problems of life. We would be fools not to address a situation that needs to be taken care of. We all have either dealt with or experienced conflict, health issues, dangerous situations, death, spiritual problems, etc. at some point in our lives. But we’re not called to ignore the problem that we’re worried about, what we are called to do is to stop festering on it to the point of exhaustion. When we do that, we are being unhealthy and we become immobilized by excessive worry.

When we realize this worry starts to consume us, that’s when we need to turn to the Most High and leave it in prayer to G-d. Only G-d can release you from this fear or anxiety and He can set us free.

I leave you with this last verse so that when you feel like you are alone and G-d isn’t listening, I urge you to reconsider that.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

Amen.