Anxiety means, “to be torn apart on the inside.” Anxiety tears us apart both mentally and physically. Mentally we envision terrible worst case scenarios. Physically we can suffer ulcers, headaches, heart problems, and a wide variety of other ailments. Anxiety tears our lives apart as we lose our tempers, make poor decisions, and damage life’s relationships.
The good news is that anxiety is not a badge of honor or our cross to bear. In Psalms 37 we are commanded to stop being anxious (“fret not”) and then given the anecdote: “Trust in the Lord and do good!”
Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. (Psalms 37:1-2)
TRUST IN THE LORD
Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. (Psalm 37:3)
There are two worlds: The world I cannot do anything about, and then the world that I can do something about. The world I cannot do anything about, the past, the future, and the things outside of my control, must be trusted to the Lord.
The Past: I can’t go back and redo yesterday’s mistakes.
The Future: I cannot go to the future and take care of tomorrows problems. I am free to plan for the future, but not I am not free to boast or worry about it. (James 4:13-17) “Take no thought on the morrow…” (Matt. 6:34).
Things outside of my control: I have no control over the weather outside, when I was born, who my parents were, my genetics, global politics, other people’s behaviour… Just to mention a few.
When I worry about the world outside of my control it creates internalized stress-filled energy. This wasted energy is called anxiety. We must put our yesterdays, tomorrows, and things outside of our control back into the Lord’s hands. “Trust in the Lord!”
DO GOOD
Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. (Psalm 37:3)
The world of anxiety is the world of the past, the future, and things outside of my control. If I live in this world, I am not free to live today. I cannot see the forest through the trees, but when I commit these things to the Lord and trust in Him, then I am free to live here in this present day. Once I, “trust in the Lord,” then I can grab the proverbial axe and chop down one tree at a time. I am now free to “do good.”
There is an old saying, “Rome was not built in a day.” The heroes of the faith were not built in a day either. Scripture again and again testifies to us how the great saints, “played the hand that they were dealt,” they “did good” one day at a time and God kept His promise, “…so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed!” God will do the same for us! Trust in the Lord. Do good. And we will dwell in the land and be fed!
Quote: “Yesterday is a cashed check and cannot be negotiated. Tomorrow is a promissory note and cannot yet be utilized. Today is cash in hand. Spend it wisely.” – John Edmund Haggai