Get the appAnxiety, Hope and Our Fatherনমুনা
R-E-L-A-X
When the Green Bay Packers started out the 2014-15 season with a losing record, quarterback Aaron Rodgers told nervous fans, “R-E-L-A-X.” Turns out Rodgers had things under control. The Packers finished 11-2 over the last 13 games of the season and tied for the best record in the league.
We can’t see ahead, so setbacks in money and time make us anxious. Jesus addressed both on the mountainside. We want to know if we’re going to have enough. Our Father who sees us and knows our needs—even before we do—will surely take care of us.
One time I revealed to an older friend from Australia how anxious I was for my family. After listening and commiserating with me, he pulled out his well-thumbed copy of The Message and read this from Matthew 6:30-33: “What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax.” I can still hear his Australian accent as he drew out the last word. “Relax.”
God’s got things under control. Our heavenly Father is not biting his nails over what’s going to happen to us. Can you trust him with yourself, with each hour he has planned for you?
God knows we tend to get anxious, so he wants us to bring our concerns to him while also saying, “thank you” (Philippians 4:6). When you present your requests to the Father today, thank him again for all the ways he cares for you daily. Try listing a few dozen ways that he provides, and maybe you’ll want to thank him again—and relax.
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About this Plan
Times are tough. Anxiety can grow inside us like a contagion as we battle external stress and internal doubt. Jesus knew that the better we know our Father, the less reason we’ll have to be anxious. In Matthew 6, Jesus draws us back to our Father, the One who sees us, knows our needs, and provides hope.
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