As my youngest prepared to start middle school, we got ready for her open house.  Only this year, instead of getting in a car, we opened a laptop.  Instead of standing in a line, we clicked a link and instead of navigating through the halls, we navigated through a website.  Some students went to school in-person while others will be learning virtually. It’s back-to-school time and there’s plenty of anxiety abounding among teachers, parents and students. Remember when you felt nervous about starting a new school year? Well, now let’s just pile this year’s season of worries atop all the normal fears.  There are no amount of disinfectant wipes to clean up 2020’s mess of anxieties; that cup has runneth over like an overflowing bathtub. 

 

Anxiety, by its definition, is the uncertainty of what we perceive might happen, often going to the worst-case scenarios. I found it interesting that the use of the word “anxiety” has increased its appearance in publications by 400% since 1935*, which was its all-time low usage, to 2019. (I can’t even imagine the statistic for 2020!) Let's compare events that were going on in 1935. The Great Depression, unemployment was 20%, Florida Keys Hurricane hit at 185mph, the Great Plains were in a Dust Bowl, Germany passed the Nuremburg laws removing civil rights from Jews. Gives some perspective doesn’t it?  Okay, yes the population is greater now therefore there would be an expected increase in publications; so, just for fun, look up the word "peace" and you'll see a 200 year history of decline of that word.**  So then, what’s different today? More importantly, how do we deal with the anxieties we experience?

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When God says, “be anxious for nothing”, He isn’t trying to convince you that the problems don’t exist. Jesus was VERY clear to His disciples that “in this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33) But, that isn’t all He said in that verse, was it? Jesus flanks this phrase with two promises “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace” and “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  Losing a loved one, losing a job, receiving a discouraging diagnosis, those are all real and in no way is Jesus denying what we go through or the pain that we experience through trials.  He actually has already travelled through it, all of it.  He is the only one who knows EXACTLY what we are going through at any moment in time.

 

Paul writes, “…by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God”.  Let’s substitute some definitions in place of those nouns.  “…by open, honest communication, humble pleading and gratitude, lay your heart’s desire out on the table to your Best Friend, who happens to be omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, and who has already endured any fear, any humiliation and any pain, therefore, qualifying Him to be both the best confidant and best comfort in times of need”. -That would be my own "KLB Amplified" version.

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And what does it say will happen next? “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding…” -I’m going to stop again here to point out that “peace” is opposite to “anxiety”. If God is the author of peace, who is the author of anxiety? The same enemy that is the author of chaos, Satan. And that brings us to the next part of the verse, “will guard your hearts and minds…” Just like last week’s verse, we see a reference to a soldier. We can’t, on our own, battle all of these anxieties in life. We need a shield. What does a shield cover? Our head and torso, the vital organs. It’s important to note that shields don’t transport us out of trials, they guard us as we go through them, protecting our hearts and minds so that we can be focused on Christ and the hope to come. 

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We do not have to live in a state of fear. Yes, we will walk through trials, but we are not alone through them. We may not fully understand why we go through certain circumstances, but that which we do not understand is used by God in ways we may never know this side of Heaven.  Our lack of that knowledge doesn't negate it's value. Today, instead of focusing on what we can't change or what may happen, let's focus on the promises we have to go through life's battles.   

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Reflections for this week: 

 

What hardships in your past have you later seen God use in your life or perhaps was used in someone else's life? 

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Identify the main areas in your life right now that you are most anxious.

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Read Matthew 6:25-34. What does Jesus say will profit from our worry?  What promises does He give? 

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Citations: 

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