You Need Not Be Anxious
There could be so many reasons that cause us to be anxious in this world. Our living, work, studies, family, and children are just a few of them. This world just gives many things to be anxious about.
In facing all these anxieties, one can only sigh helplessly saying, “I can’t help it. How could I not be anxious about all these things?” Nevertheless, God never intended that we would bear all those burdens. He does not want us to be anxious. God charges us saying, “In nothing be anxious.” The book of Philippians says, “In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; And the peace of God, which surpasses every man’s understanding will guard your hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus.”
If you would surrender before God all the anxieties you encounter, then spontaneously you would be anxious in nothing. However, when the first matter comes, you usually bear it on your own. Then when the second matter comes, and the third, you bear them in like manner as the first. Ultimately, you would feel pressured, and as a result, you would lose your joy.
Once I saw some construction workers passing bricks upward. Each of the three workers stood on the lower, middle, and upper planks, respectively. The worker on the lower plank passed the bricks to the worker on the middle plank, and the worker on the middle plank then passed the bricks to the worker on the upper plank. They kept passing the bricks continually. But what if the worker on the middle plank did not pass the bricks upward? He would just be receiving the bricks from the first worker below him. Then the worker in the middle would be crushed to death by the weight of the bricks passed by the worker below him.
Dear friends, we should not bear the anxieties of the world ourselves. Rather, we should place all our anxieties on God.
Whenever we have anxieties, we should hand them over to God immediately. Dear friends, you can pray to Him, “O Lord Jesus, thank You that through prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings I can place all my anxieties on You, and You will bear them for me. Lord, I am willing to accept You as my peace and joy.”
If you do this, the Lord will be infused into you, eliminating the troubles and anxieties you have. He will even guard your thoughts and your heart, preserving you to be at peace.