“Your anxiety decreases as your understanding of your [heavenly] father increases.”- Max Lucado
“For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,/ Which spreads out its roots by the river,/ And will not fear when heat comes;/ But its leaf will be green,/ And will not be anxious in the year of drought.”- Jeremiah 17:7-8
Max Lucado concludes Chapter 2 of Anxious for Nothing as he shares his thought that our biggest fears seem like sprained ankles to God. In other words, God solely knows how to put our problems in the proper perspective. Yet, Pastor Lucado posits, unnecessary anxiety over temporary limps controls the lives of many people.
Therefore, Max exhorts, the next time you fear the future, choose to rejoice:
- in the Lord’s sovereignty
- in what God has accomplished
- that He’s able to do what you cannot do
- and fill your mind with thoughts of God
Furthermore, God’s sovereignty provides the saint with the inside track to peace. When others see the problems of the world and wring their hands, we respond to those same problems as we bend our knees.
In conclusion, Pastor Lucado offers these words of encouragement:
“Lift up your eyes. Don’t get lost in your troubles. Dare to believe that good things will happen. Dare to believe that God was speaking to you when he said, ‘In everything God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28, New Century Version). The mind cannot at the same time be full of God and full of fear.”
Today’s question: What Bible verses help you understand how you anxiety decreases? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “A concrete block of guilt in the soul”
