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There is a peculiar thing that happens
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when we are anxious. We believe we are
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protecting ourselves. We believe we are
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being prudent, careful,
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But examine it more closely. Anxiety is
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not caution. It is confession. When we
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are anxious about tomorrow, we are
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confessing that we do not trust the one
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who holds tomorrow. When we rehearse
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worstc case scenarios in our minds and
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we do this for hours, don't we? We are
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rehearsing a future we believe we are
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responsible for preventing but we are
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not. And deep down we know it. Jesus
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asked his disciples a question that
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deserves to sit with us. Can any of you
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by worrying add a single hour to your
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life? Not a day, not a week, an hour.
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The answer of course is no. But the
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question cuts deeper than mere
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It reveals the lie beneath anxiety that
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our vigilance, our mental rehearsal, our
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sleepless planning actually accomplishes
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something. It does not. Paul writes to
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the Philippians from a Roman prison
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awaiting possible execution and tells
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them, "Do not be anxious about anything,
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but in every situation by prayer and
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petition with thanksgiving,
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present your requests to God." Notice
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the progression. Not stop being anxious
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through willpower, but present your
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anxiety to God as a request. Transform
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worry into a conversation with the one
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who actually holds power. This is not
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positive thinking. This is not denial.
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This is recognition. The moment we name
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our anxiety as a prayer request instead
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of a problem we must solve, something
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shifts. We move from the posture of the
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controller to the posture of the
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dependent. From the one who must prevent
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disaster to the one who trusts in a God
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who is both sovereign and kind. The
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peace that follows, Paul calls it a
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peace that passes understanding, is not
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the absence of concern. It is the
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presence of trust where trust matters
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most, in the character of God himself.
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That is a foundation no circumstance can
