25“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? … 33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

• From Matthew 6

It’s not easy getting by these days. The prices on everything is so much more than it used to be only a few years ago. I saw somewhere that homes have gone up in value in the last few years by 52%. That is astounding. Insurance rates have gone up, too.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6, not to be anxious about our lives. Reading this, I think to myself, “Easier said than done”. 

What makes it worse for us who have anxiety challenges is when the church looks at Matthew 6 and makes it into a law. Because Jesus speaks in direct address form here, it is taken to be the Law. Some will even go as far as saying that feeling anxious is sin. 

Condemnation flows from this understanding of the passage. In other words, on top of the anxiety you experience, you listen to a pastor to find relief and find condemnation for your feelings instead!

Nothing like kicking someone when they’re down. 

Adults aren’t the only ones who experience anxiety. Teenagers and pre-teens are experiencing higher rates of anxiety, too. Jonathan Haidt, in his new book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, explains how children are drifting into a “virtual world” of media, and higher rates of depression, self-harm and anxiety are the result. 

That is worrying. Now parents don’t just have to deal with their own issues of anxiety, they also must have their antenna up for their kids, too. How are we to deal with such challenges in our life experience? 

There are a few ways that God is providing for us in these anxious times. He has given us the invitation to pray, “casting all your cares upon Him because He cares for you.” Notice this isn’t limited to only those cares that God tells you are important. He doesn’t demean our humanness. He says to cast all your cares upon Him. You have permission to do that over and over and over again. In fact, you have permission to pray this way until you receive an answer. Be like the neighbor asking for bread from his neighbor in the middle of the night. Keep knocking and irritate God with your prayers. 

If you are unsure what to pray or how to pray, praying the Psalms is a good place to start. The authors of the Psalms also experienced trials of different kinds, expressing their deepest feelings and concerns to God. Reading these will give words to your feelings when you have none.

Secondly, God is providing connection. That is, He has given you an invitation to share your burdens with fellow followers of Jesus. We were not built to suffer in isolation. Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane with three of His most trusted friends and disciples while He prayed in the middle of the night. Just make sure that the friends you share with will speak encouragement to you and not question or judge you. You don’t need that.

Thirdly, read about those who felt anxiety and hopelessness in the Bible. I think of Elijah in 1 Kings 19 who reached an end of himself. The servant of Elisha who felt anxiety as he saw the forces of the King of Aram surround the city Elisha and he were in at the time. It’s found in 2 Kings 6:11-17. 

Or, read about the disciples who experienced anxiety several times in Jesus’ ministry. The crisis of feeding of the 5,000 in Matt. 14, Mark 6, Luke 9 and John 6 reveals their anxiety about getting enough food for everyone. The disciples’ great fear and anxiety as they experience the crisis of their boat possibly being capsized in the waves is found in: Matt. 8, Mark 4, and Luke 8. 

You can also read about Martha in Luke 10, Mary and Joseph in Luke 2 (especially verses 46-48), and even Jesus, Himself, as recorded in three of the four gospel accounts: Matt. 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46, and Mark14:32-42. 

By reading these accounts, you will come to realize that you are not alone in your feelings, but that even Godly people in the Scripture experienced them.

Finally, confess the truth that we struggle with the worry that Jesus is talking about in Matthew 6. We cannot live this anxiety-free idyllic life. But Jesus has fulfilled every demand and command for us. He has fulfilled every direct address that He gave to us. He has compassion on you because Jesus has experienced what you have experienced, to the point of death.

He is no distant God, but the God-Man who lived in this world. He lived through many crises. And He died for you in the greatest crisis of all, death for our sin. So, Jesus is now closer to you than any brother. 

As you pray in your own Gardens of Gethsemane, know that Jesus Christ is your advocate before God your Father, as well. He won’t fall asleep on the job. And the Holy Spirit is also advocating for you before the Father. 

You are never alone, never unseen and never abandoned. Jesus will be with you always, no matter how intense the crisis or the anxiety. He is still saving you through these times. Anxiety and worry will die one day, but you will live! And that is a very comforting thought, indeed. 

Amen