Pastor Tom Johnson, October 11, 2020
Our Scripture today says, “Do not worry about anything.” Jesus says in his sermon on the mount, “Do not worry about your life” (Matt 6:25). This is a command most of us wish we could easily obey: not to worry—not to be anxious. What is worry? Worry is when our minds and bodies are in a chronic threat response. We play and replay future, possible, negative scenarios over and over again. It is a form of fear—fear of what may or may not happen. It is also wounds from the past that have not healed that continue to plague us. Or it’s a current struggle that has not yet resolved favorably. And so, we live in state of defensiveness and fear. Worry manifests itself in fight, flight, or freeze.
There are so many things to worry about these days—a global pandemic, loss of health, lives, and jobs. There is turmoil in politics and in our neighborhoods. We can add all of our unique and personal struggles on top of these common ones. But Paul says, “Do not worry about anything.” Some would say worry is a sin. But I think we should be careful. How helpful is it for us to add guilt to worry? Or worry about worrying? I believe it is helpful to not always look at sin merely as what we do or fail to do and displeases God. Sin also works to hold us under its power. It is truth to say, “I worry.” But it is also truth to say, “I struggle with anxiety.”
Worry or anxiety is the most common mental health issue in the United States. I opened my pastoral companion book yesterday to look at a list of common struggles people have, Scriptures that address it, and suggested prayers. Not surprisingly, anxiety is at the top of the list. And, no, it is not in alphabetical order. Worry takes our eyes off of the Lord who knows the number of our days and hairs on our heads. Anxiety keeps us from trusting in Jesus who says he will never leave us as orphans or forsake us. Unopposed, worry will erode our faith. Worry causes us to be preoccupied about ourselves. Worry prevents us from fulfilling God’s greatest command which is to love him with all of heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love one another as Christ loved us. Worry steals our joy. Worry can so cloud our minds that we do not recognize all the blessings around us. Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety weighs down the human heart, but a good word cheers it up.”
Yes, our text tells us to stop worrying. But the Word is also here to cheer us up.
“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
In Christ we have the remedies for worry. We have the antidotes for anxiety. Paul begins by telling us to not worry about anything but to pray about everything. Maybe you have noticed the church office wall behind Anna’s desk says, “Pray about everything; worry about nothing.”
Prayer is taking our anxiety and worry and surrendering it up to God. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” It’s a beautiful and powerful thing: God not only knows and expects that we have anxiety; he wants us to unload it all upon him. Because he does not want us to be weighed down by it. Paul tells us to pray with thanksgiving. This is another antidote to worry: gratitude. When we recognize, name, and thank God for his blessings, our gratitude will transform our attitude. We will become more optimistic and less worrisome. We will be able to—by God’s strength and Spirit—to fulfill our Scripture that says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!” Joy will flood our lives because thanksgiving has opened our eyes, ears, and our hearts. Joy is another sure antidote for anxiety—as is the peace that surpasses all understanding. It is not a peace as the world gives but only as Christ gives. It is a contentment and absence of fear that transcends life’s difficulties and human comprehension. It is a peace that rescues our imaginations from our fears. It’s a peace that calms us by God’s amazing grace. All this strengthens our faith when we actually experience this peace—when we discover that God has actually given us the tools we need to escape the clutches of anxiety and we truly know his peace that actually quiets and calms our hearts, minds, and spirits. If that is not enough, Paul says in our Scripture,
“Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Jesus went to the mountains, seas, and wilderness to pray. I believe he went to these places to quiet his time with God but also to enjoy the stunning beauty of creation. If the news is making your anxiety worse. Turn off the TV, radio, and don’t look at social media. Instead, take a walk. Pray for our world. Surrender your worry to God. Look around. Go to an art museum. Listen to your favorite music. We not only have supernatural peace at our disposal, we have the common good. We have an infinite supply of beauty in God’s creation all around us. It will also transform our hearts and minds to fill our eyes, ears, noses, hands, mouths, and minds with the delicious goodness and beauty around us. As Christians we know that we are more than conquerors. We are victorious over sin, evil, and death by Jesus’ death and resurrection. We may have not yet realized our victory yet before Christ’s return. But we do have prayer, thanksgiving, faith, joy, and peace that transcends anything that might hold us captive to worry. As Baptist minister and civil rights leader (Ralph Abernathy) said in the midst of his struggle said, “I don't know what the future may hold, but I know who holds the future.”
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