The Cure for Anxiety

Matthew 6:25-34

Daniel Fritz

Life comes at us fast. It seems like the days just fly by. Our daily life is so compact we have to "pencil in" free time. Most of our lives are filled with repetitive things; we get up, shower, brush our teeth, get ready for work, drive to work, take the kids to soccer practice, pick up dry cleaning, write papers for school, personal commitments, church related activities, etc... We have become master multitaskers. However, we are also master stressors. We try to combine everything into a single 24 hour day and many times we begin to feel the stress and anxiety of day to day life. Stress can come in many shapes and forms. Some stress can become a positive tool for us and help push us to complete a task. Stress can also be negative, where the thing putting pressure on us begins to be too much and we eventually break. There is a solution to our problem of negative stress and anxiety, and that answer comes from Matthew 6:25-34. I have bolded some items I want to keep your attention on.

"25 For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Do not be worried about your life

In the preceding verses (16-24) Jesus instructed His disciples how to act on a day to day basis. He showed them when they fasted the purpose was not to draw attention towards themselves, like some of the "hypocrites" did, but to make their appeal only to the Father in secret. In verses 19 and 20 Jesus tells them not to "store up for yourselves treasure on earth..." but to "store up treasures in Heaven." These are important verses when dealing with the context and bigger picture of what Jesus is saying in verses 25-34. Jesus says in verse 25 we are not to worry about our life, what we are going to eat, or drink or what we will wear. Now, this is not telling us we do not have to work. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 explicitly says if one does not work, then they are not to eat. However, Jesus is saying if we do the things we should be doing (that is, following His commandments) He will take care of us.

Are you not worth much more than they?

Making reference to the birds of the air Jesus says the Father takes care of them and how much more valuable are we to the Father compared to the birds? We are a part of God's family. God is the Father, Jesus our Brother, and our fellow Christians are our sisters and brothers. God is a just, caring, and loving Father who is wanting all to come to Him in repentance (2 Peter 3:9). We are created in His image (Genesis 1:29) and we are thus much more valuable to Him than birds.

And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?

I find almost a bit of humor in this sentence. Jesus is saying what is it going to profit you to worry? It's not going to add a single hour to your life and so there is no point in being overwhelmed with worry or stress. As I said earlier stress is pretty much a common thing in our lives. Yet it is when that negative stress comes in, it has no profit for us.

You of little faith!

Jesus uses some harsh words here but they needed to be said. You of little faith, you stress because you don't believe God can take care of you. You have doubts in your heart. This is a COMMON occurrence, especially among believers. We can be the best Christian around, being faithful to attend all services, gospel meetings, being hospitable and giving -- all of the positive aspects of being a true Christian. But when the time comes when we need to depend of the Lord, we break, fall apart and begin to doubt. We believe God is all powerful and yet many times we doubt His power. I think all of us at one time or another have had that kind of doubt. We like to be in control. We like to know where we are going and how we are going to get there. When we leave everything up to God, there is a sense of uncertainty and that scares many of us.

"So do not worry about tomorrow;
for tomorrow will care for itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own."

In Jesus' concluding thoughts of chapter six, He says don't worry. Put all your trust in Him. Each day will have enough troubles of its own. There is no reason to worry when we put all our faith in Him and faith is what it really boils down to. If we believe God is all powerful and we are doing the things He asks of us, there should be no need to worry, because He will provide.

If we have faith in God and believe He can and will take care of us, then there will be no need to stress or worry. Trust in God. He is all powerful and He will provide for us.

Matthew 11:28-30-- "28 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."