Matthew 6:27 “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”

One of the songs that has grabbed the imagination of people everywhere is titled “Don't Worry, Be Happy” and a couple lines from the first verse are “In every life we have some trouble / When you worry you make it double.” What does the bible say about being anxious or being worried? In Isaiah 35:4 we read “Say to those who have an anxious heart, 'Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance,with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.'” Jeremiah 17:7-8 teaches us “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." 1 Corinthians 7:32 begins with the statement “I want you to be free from anxieties” Philippians 4:6 reads “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Do not worry, do not be anxious. God has it under control.

So what then are we to do about being anxious or being worried? Well, in the words of a popular book (and now movie) “Don't Panic.” Being worried about something that we can not control does no good. Being anxious about it only makes it worse. But don't panic when these things come up. Don't start to twitch and splutter. Don't sit down and draw up diagrams and charts about how to deal with whatever it is. The first thing to do is to take it to the Lord in prayer. He is faithful in all things as we have learned through our own experiences. He can deal with it, or He will bring to mind what we can do to deal with it (which is essentially the same thing as Him dealing with it).

What do we have control over when we worry? Usually nothing and that is why we get so worried. It is when we have the least control, however, that Christ has the most control. That is the key point to remember. I know there are a lot of problems out there in this big old world we need to live in, and I know that we all have our share (and sometime more than our share) of problems and worries, but Christ is there and in the end, everything will work out for His glory. Don't worry; just remember that even Moses started out as a basket case.

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
leaning on the everlasting arms.