Don't Be Anxious

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7   

Can you imagine never being anxious about anything? I can’t. In his book, “Day by Day,” Billy Graham says, “Historians will probably call our era ‘the age of anxiety.’” We become anxious when our hopes are not centered in God and His will for us.

Someone has said that the anxious person and the worrier are so preoccupied about what may happen in the future that they forget to live in the present. Is this true of you? I have to admit that I sometimes find myself in these anxious times. When this happens, we tend to make mountains out of molehills.

Much of our anxiety, I believe, comes from this electronic age. It keeps us so “wired” that we are too tense to find God in the midst of situations. In an airport recently, I observed people as they walked by. Nearly all of them were on their cell phones with frowns on their faces. Those sitting around me were glued to their IPads. We are never able to get away from work, worry, or phone calls when we load ourselves down with electronics.

In today’s Scripture, Paul counsels us to not be anxious about anything and to take everything to God. Don’t worry about anything but pray about everything! As Paul writes this passage, he is chained to a Roman soldier, guarded day and night. Yet, he has the peace of God. This peace comes when our hearts and minds are fixed only on God.

Maybe it is time that we set some boundaries on the time we spend on smart phones, smarts TVs, and all of those things that claim our attention.

Throughout the New Testament Jesus tells us not to worry or to become anxious. We are to fix our focus on God and His righteousness. When we trust Him, He will take care of everything in our lives.

Georgia Andrus