High Anxiety

Luke 12:7 “And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”

Did you know that “High Anxiety” was a 1977 American satirical comedy film that was a parody of classic suspense movies: Spellbound, Vertigo and The Birds, produced and directed by Mel Brooks, who also plays the lead. But in reality, anxiety is a serious issue. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines “Anxiety” as concern or solicitude respecting some event, future or uncertain, which disturbs the mind, and keeps it in a state of painful uneasiness. It expresses more than uneasiness or disturbance, and even more than trouble or solicitude. it usually springs from fear or serious apprehension of evil, and involves a suspense respecting an event, and often, a perplexity of mind, to know how to shape our conduct. Do you ever lie awake at night, worrying about this and anxious about that? If so, then you know how distressing that experience can be.

Psalm 139:23 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

But if you are a Christian, you needn’t allow worry to plague you. Instead, you can turn over your heavenly Father, casting them on the one who cares for you. Envision lifting each of your big burdens, like a large stone, and handing it to Jesus and when Christ takes hold of it, suddenly the rock shrinks to a pebble! Our worries do indeed shrink when we leave them in God’s care.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Remember how as a child, no matter how frightened you might have been, all your fears dissipated when you put your hand into the hand of a loving parent? In the same way, we have a divine and heavenly Parent on whom we can still cast our burdens, no matter how big or how small they are. Hand them to Creator God, your Father in Heaven, the Almighty Lord, who cares for you and me. Allow Him to give you the peace that comes only from trusting Him with everything that concerns you. When you have nothing left but God, you discover the God is enough.

In Christ, Brian