What, Me Worry?

If you are of a certain age like me and remember the old MAD magazine, this phrase brings back images of Alfred E Neuman, the poster boy for nonchalance and indifference. But I digress...

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where everything around you feels very unstable, uncertain, and maybe even overwhelming because of anxiety and thinking about just the issues of life? And at that moment, you actually need peace, and not some surface-level calm, but that unshakable peace.

This topic has come up because there seems to be an increased level of anxiety at our church... concerns about starting the building project for the new addition, concerns about calling a new pastor to lead us, concerns about keeping members happy and involved. On a larger scale, all around the world, there are rumors of war, or genuine threats to safety and security. We experience high levels of conflict and change across various cultures, and in our personal lives. We wonder about our safety, the security of our children, and what the future might look like. 

If we’re not careful, our thoughts can easily lead us into anxiety. We can be swept into the spiral of over-thinking and worry. But God tells us something different. He tells us to submit everything to Him in prayer. To submit something to God in prayer is to recognize that He is the creator and director of history, and He alone has the power to protect us and direct our lives.

The Bible clearly tells us not to worry. Instead of carrying stress, it teaches us to trade anxiety for prayer, trust God to provide for our needs, and focus on the present moment rather than an uncertain future.

• 1 Peter 5:7: Give all your worries and cares to God, because he cares about you.
• Matthew 6:25–27: Do not worry about your life, food, or clothes. Worrying cannot add a single hour to your life.
• Matthew 6:34: Do not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will bring its own worries.

In the book of Philippians, chapter 4:6-7 we are told, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus."  Think about that verse for a moment, because Paul is writing from prison. He's writing from a prison cell, not from a place of comfort, not from a place where he's in control. He's not in a nice hotel where he's enjoying himself. No. It's a place of limitation. And yet he talks about peace, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. When you think about it, what the Apostle Paul is telling us is that the peace of God—that surpasses all understanding—is because it's not dependent on your circumstances. It's not dependent on what you're facing, what you're going through, what is coming your way.

It's literally dependent on God, that you can be at peace even in the midst of trouble, even when there is anxiety and worry and all kinds of challenges around you. We only need to take our concerns and anxieties and submit them to God, God says that He will give us His peace. The peace of God surpasses all of our understanding because it transcends our anxious and changing world.

Of course that doesn't mean that we can just not worry and be happy. Having God’s peace doesn’t mean that we won’t have times where we feel anxious. But even in the most anxious of times, we can rest in the assurance that God is with us, and He is more powerful than our anxiety. When we offer God our thoughts and circumstances, we allow Him to step in. We allow Him to transform the ways we think and act. We allow His peace to guard our hearts and minds. 

So yes, we too can say "What, me worry?" Not because of apathy and lack of caring like the aforementioned Mr. Neuman, but because we know that we have a God that cares for us. A God is concerned about everything that happens to us. No worry is too big or too small for His attention. And a God that is powerful enough to overcome any worries that we might have as long as we go to Him in prayer.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matthew 11:28-30.