Managing Worry and Anxiety By Jean HolthausSample

  Day 4 

Experience God’s Presence Is in the Present

Worry and anxiety are rarely about what is going on in the present. Both are focused on what might happen or what has happened in the past. Jesus tells us we aren’t supposed to worry about our future. Worrying or being anxious about the future increases our sense of powerlessness. When we live consumed by the future or the past, we are less aware of what is happening in the present and less able to react effectively within the moment.

How to live in the present moment is one of the lessons I learned from the Israelites. When the Israelites were traveling in the desert between Egypt and the promised land, God promised He would provide for them. He told them manna would be present each morning and they were to gather only what they needed for the day. When the Israelites tried to keep the manna overnight so they could use it the next day, it spoiled.

God wants an intimate relationship with us where we come to Him and receive from Him what we need as we need it. When I am worrying about the future, I am attempting to figure out how to handle something in two minutes, two hours, or two days with the resources God has given me to handle the moment I am currently in. This will never work because the resources for this moment will always be insufficient to address what I need at any other moment. Just like the Israelites had to learn to trust that God would give them what they needed, we must learn to trust in God’s provision. This trust can only be learned by the experience of recognizing God’s presence and provision in the present moment.

As you are doing something routine, allow yourself to focus on God’s presence with you. God is everywhere and in everything. He is breathing the breath into your lungs right now. You are surrounded by Him and enfolded in His loving arms right this minute, no matter what you are doing. Allow yourself to be aware that He is giving you what you need to accomplish this task, He is delighting in you as you accomplish this, and He is working with you to accomplish this.