Anxiety can sometimes come out of nowhere and steal our peace and joy. Some will even worry when things are going well. They worry that their run of good luck might end.
So what does the average person worry about? Here is a list taken from a survey of world class worriers:
40%—on things that will never happen
30%—on things about the past that can’t be changed
12%—on things about criticism by others, mostly untrue
10%—on about health, which gets worse with stress
8% — about real problems that will be faced
Arthur Rank, an English executive, decided to do all his worrying on one day each week. He chose Wednesdays. When anything happened that gave him anxiety and annoyed his ulcer, he would write it down and put it in his worry box. Then he forgot about it until the next Wednesday. When he opened his worry box the following Wednesday, he found that most of the things he’d written down had somehow been resolved. It would have been useless to worry about them.
Someone once said, “My life has been filled with one major catastrophe after another … most of which never occurred.”
Philippians 4:6 says, “Be careful (anxious) for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God.” The result of obeying this comes in the next verse. ”And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Most worry because of their weak faith. You see, worry is “faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster and belief in defeat.” Worry is wasting today’s time to clutter up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s troubles.
We are not designed to worry, we just do it anyway. We are inwardly constructed in nerve, tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. Fear and faith cannot coexist. One will overcome the other. However, it’s we who decide which will win the battle.
- Colossians 3:15 says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.”
- 2 Thessalonians 3:16 refers to Jesus as the “Lord of peace.”
- Ephesians 2:14 says, “He is our peace.”
- 1 Corinthians 14:33 calls Him the “Author of peace.”
- Hebrews 13:20 says He is the “God of peace.”
- In John’s gospel 16:33 Jesus says, “in me you might have peace.”
Here are three things we all should always remember:
- Fret not—because He loves you (John 13:1) “… his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.”
- Faint not—because He holds you (Psalm 139:7-10) “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in sheol, (death), behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there… shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”
- Fear not—because He keeps you (Psalm 121:5) “The Lord is thy keeper.”
Jesus put it this way in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
If you are worrying, exercise your faith and your fear will vanish as peace begins to emerge.