Matthew 6:24-33
If anxiety did add hours to our lifespans, many of us would live to be as old as Methuselah, who lived 969 years.
But it does not. Quite the opposite. Studies have shown that anxiety can actually subtract hours, even days, from our lives. Anxiety increases our risk for certain illnesses, such as heart disease, which can lead to an early death. Anxiety can also affect our mental health in the form of headaches and depression.
Was this why Jesus in today’s passage cautioned his disciples not to be anxious? To not worry about what they would eat, drink, or wear? Did He want to spare them these maladies?
No. Jesus knows that anxiety has a more adverse effect on our lives than physical or mental. That effect is deeply spiritual. Anxiety is a sign of mistrust in God, in His goodness, faithfulness, and provision. Anxiety says to God, “I don’t believe You are capable of providing for me; therefore, I can’t trust you and must do everything for myself.”
This is exactly what Jesus did not want for His disciples. Or for us today. Jesus wants us to have complete confidence in God, a confidence that is called faith, of which, Jesus said, the disciples had “little.”
Faith is the antidote to anxiety. Whereas anxiety robs us of peace, comfort, and joy, faith in God guarantees all that. Faith believes that God can, and will, supply all our needs—both the necessities and beyond. Even before we ask.
So, when you are tempted to become anxious—as you will inevitably because of your fallen nature—see it as an invitation to turn your frantic worrying into an exercise of faith. Declare to God, “I believe You will provide for me in this situation. I trust You completely.”
Be encouraged. Be blessed.