The Study of Anxiety

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

-Matthew 6:25-29 The Message

The Cure for Anxiety

Verse 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?

Verse 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?

Verse 27: And which of you, by worrying, can add a single day to his life’s span?

Verse 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,

Verse 29: yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

Verse 25 study: The effects of worrying can make us sick. Jesus tells us not to worry about those needs God promises us he will supply. Worrying may:

1. Damage your health.
2. Cause the object of your worry to consume your thoughts.
3. Disrupt productivity.
4. Negatively affect your ability to trust God.

How much worrying are you experiencing? What is the difference between worry and genuine concern? Worry immobilizes; concern moves you to take action.

Father, your Word shows us how to stop anxiety in its tracks. There are not many excuses we can use to not do your work. When you ask us to do your work, it is clear as day as to not let worrying get to us. Reading and remembering scripture helps us to get through our temptations and addictions. Let it get through our moments of anxiety. In Jesus’ name. Amen.