“Stop it!”
Are you anxious? What are you anxious about? Are you anxious about the current pandemic? About your health? Your job? The economy? Your children? Are you anxious about some relationship or the lack of relationships? Are you anxious or worried about anything? There are storms and challenges and troubles aplenty on the sea of this earthly life. Beloved, we live in an age of anxiety and instability. Those of this world are “worried and bothered” by many things, i.e., what to eat, what to drink, what to wear, how to be healthy, wealthy and wise. Worried about their condition of life. Worried about tomorrow. Worried about the future.
Unfortunately, this tendency to worry and fret and stew is not limited to unbelievers. Living in this world we have many of the same responsibilities, challenges, needs, and burdens as our neighbors around us. Are you worried?
“Stop it!”
That does seem very sensitive or understanding, does it? Well, I might be hesitant to say that, but it’s not my idea.
It is Paul, the apostle and bond-servant of Jesus Christ, who says we are to be anxious about “nothing.” Really?!?! “Nothing?!?!” You can look up the Greek word if you want. I will translate it literally, “no thing.” Well, maybe it is okay to be anxious about this or that. No, Paul says “nothing.”
Interestingly, the word that our Bibles translates as “anxious” appears 19 times in the NT. Sometimes it can be good. Most of the time it is bad.
Can Be Good.
In a few places it is used of what we might call a “tender concern or care”—legitimate concern. It is used this way in Philippians 2:20 where Paul commends Timothy’s “genuine concern” for the welfare of the Philippians. In 1 Corinthians 12:25 Paul speaks of the “same care” that we, as members of the body, should have for one another. In other words, there is a proper concern and care we are to have, i.e., one directed toward the welfare of another.
But Mostly Bad.
But most of the time the word is used negatively of a misdirected care or a malignant concern. The “concern” spoken of here is one which has a tendency to preoccupy or divide and distract and scatter or unsettle our hearts and minds (as the promise which is attached to this command strongly implies). It is an “anxious harassing care,” over something that irritates, vexes, disturbs, riles, frustrates, or frightens us. It is what the old saints called a “carking concern,” one that can consume us and carry us away from a calm confidence in our Father. It is foolishly taking up, desperately dwelling upon, restlessly ruminating on, constantly hypothesizing about, things and matters we really have no control over! Anxiety is the sinful assumption (and presumption) of responsibility for matters out of our hands! “Ouch!”
“Stop it!”
Oh, by the way, Jesus said much the same thing in Luke 12. After telling the crowd that “life . . . does not consist in anything we have,” and then telling a parable about a man with bulging storage facilities who dies without any stock in heaven, Jesus makes the practical application: “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on” (v. 22). He then proceeded to give reasons not to be anxious. Sorry, we can’t get into the those reasons now, but if you are interested (and you should be!) they are found in Luke 12:23-32.
What is Paul’s principle burden here, dear saints? That we will not be characterized by the same worrisome anxiety and instability of spirit that marks the mass of men. Anxiety, like joylessness and nastiness, is not to characterize our Christian life here on earth. Anxiety drains our spiritual vitality and strength. We cannot hear the Word of God as we desire. The cares of this world can choke out its influence (remember Luke 8:14?). Anxiety cripples our spiritual activity. It robs our spiritual joy. Are you anxious?
“Stop it!”
“Oh, thanks a lot!”
Wonderfully, Paul does not leave it at a call to “stop.” And I won’t either. We will consider the positive response we are to make next time, Lord willing.
