worry

Joy, not Anxiety

“Be anxious for nothing …”

Philippians 4:6

Many people in the world are anxious and worrying about current events. We seem to forget that everyone is going to die sometime (Hebrews 9:27). It is only a matter of how and when. Where we spend eternity is of far more importance as it is forever. The arrogance of man is that he thinks he can save himself by defying the Creator who sustains his very being.

Some think they can save the world by maintaining the climate as they believe it was. In this they often forget that the world has been changing considerably during its existence. They acknowledge that there has been an ice age and therefore considerable global warming since then.

Now we have a virus that has allowed governments to turn countries into police states with absolute control of people’s movements. Stores have signs saying they will not accept cash payments. The world is anxious and has therefore surrendered individual rights. As we read prophecies in the Bible it seems we are on the verge of the removal of Jesus calling out His church prior to the Tribulation period. The stage is being set but is that a reason for Christians to be anxious?

The context of Paul writing this explains how and why we don’t need to be anxious. In the previous verse he has written, “The Lord is at hand.” He is not far off and He is coming again. In verse four he wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” We can rejoice and not be anxious because each day brings us nearer to that day of our deliverance (Romans 13:11). The fact that we are able to observe this in a way that previous generations could not is the reason we can rejoice and not be anxious. We are concerned for our unsaved family and friends and this will be expressed in more fervent prayer and willingness to share with them. Anxiety is a slur on the character of God.

There is a remedy for anxiety. Faith in Jesus is the remedy. Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Reading the Bible will reveal to us how frequently God’s people have been in dire situations yet He delivered them. Paul writes, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). We cannot just dispel anxiety. It is not in our power to do so. It is there or it is not. Knowing and believing God’s word is the way God frees us of anxiety so we can rejoice in faith in Him.

Little Faith

“You of little faith”

Matthew records four occasions when Jesus made this statement to His disciples: 6:30, 8:26, 14:31, and 16:8. In the latter three references it is because they had not joined the dots concerning what Jesus had said and done with regard to their circumstances. His first recorded statement in 6:30 is part of the Sermon on the Mount.

It may be easy for us to join the mockers of the disciples for their little faith – but this would be a great error. We consistently reveal that we are little different. It has been said that we can either worry, or stand in faith in Christ. That is the main subject of Matthew 6:25-34. Any time we worry about our circumstances it is because we are not trusting Jesus Christ in that circumstance. In the storms of life we are likely to worry or panic just like the disciples, and we need Jesus’ rebuke.

It is easy to say we have faith in Jesus when all seems well; but when the storms of life come, what then? In Matthew 8:23-27 we have the record of the disciples and Jesus in a severe storm that threatened to drown them all. The disciples panicked in worry. Jesus slept. The disciples would learn that Jesus had power over all creation including the storm. In the storms of life Jesus is always at hand with more than adequate power to save.

Later they were in a storm again, but without Jesus in the boat (14:22-32). Jesus came to them walking on the water and Peter asked Him to command him to also walk on the water. He did so until his eyes were distracted by the storm; he panicked and started to sink. Even then, Jesus was there to save him. We may mock Peter; but remember, he was the only disciple to have faith to get out of the boat. He may have had only a little faith, but it was sufficient to walk on water because Jesus was the object of his faith.

Not long after Jesus had fed the five thousand men plus women and children with a boy’s lunch, the disciples were concerned about the absence of bread. They had misunderstood what Jesus had said (Matthew 16:5-12). In spite of what they had seen, they worried.

The matter for us is not the amount of faith. Even a little faith may command a mountain to move (Matthew 17:20) or permit one to walk on water. What matters is the object of the faith. Knowing Jesus personally and intimately will increase our faith in Him. Faith comes from knowing Jesus and God’s word (Romans 10:17).