Fear, Anxiety-- and Faith | Weekly Devotional | April 1

Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life,
what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body,
what you shall put on. Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothing?

                                                            Matthew 6:25

Not sure about you, but as of late I haven’t been worrying about the second part of that teaching – I haven’t been shaving, showering or putting on nice clothes nearly as much as I normally do…what’s the point?  But the first part of the teaching, well that’s been a different story.  I was at the grocery store yesterday for the first time in a week and a different mantra took over that I was not accustomed to.  It said, “get extra of this and get plenty of that…and be sure to load up on more of this because they might not have any left the next time you come and you’ve got to be sure to have enough for a long time.” 

When I re-read these words of Jesus for the 5th time, I take some deeper breaths, calm down and realize he knew what he was talking about.  Here was our Lord, who often literally didn’t know where he would sleep for the night or where his next meal would come from, telling us to stop obsessing and worrying and trust God.

Isn’t that really the mantra we should let play over our whole life.  But sometimes, it’s easier said than done.  I think the point is not to give up being concerned about food all together.  But neither is it to let fear, panic buying and hoarding take over either.

And when it all comes down to it, I wonder if it’s death we’re ultimately afraid of.  Our anxiety calls attention to the fact that not all of what we need for life is in our hands at all.   To insist on a completely predictable, manageable life is one that has little need for God.  When anxiety is overcome by faith, we can discover grace and goodness even in the midst of struggle and tragedy. 

The opposite of faith is not unbelief – it is fear and anxiety.  And when we have faith and trust in God and know that we belong to God and that God loves us, then anxiety dissipates and a deeper identity arrives.  And so, as theologian, James Fenhagen observes,

The deeper answer to anxiety does not lie in increased certainty,
but in the courage to live creatively in the midst of ambiguity and
paradox.  This is what faith is all about.

“The opposite of faith is not unbelief— it is fear and anxiety”

As we live through these days of uncertainty, strangeness and sadness, let us hold onto our faith – trusting that no matter what happens to us – God always loves us and cares for us…no matter what.  Jesus tells us later in verse 27 that none us can add a minute (let alone years) to our life by being anxious.  And then in verse 34 he concludes this teaching saying,

Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be 
anxious for itself.  Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.

Friends, may the spirit of Christ guide you during these days we are physically apart, so that we can all be comforted in knowing that God holds all of us…and the whole world…in God’s hands.

I hope and pray we will all be reunited in the not too distant future.  In the meantime, be strong in faith, be safe, and be well.

In God’s Love,

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister