Anxiousness is not nervousness; confidence is not the lack of fear. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Phil. 4:6) Worry, that is what anxiousness is, worrying brings doubt, doubt leads to a lack of trust in the Lord’s path for your life, and that is a sin. That is why we are told not to be anxious, because it is a sin against God.
Trust in the provisions of the Lord is the greatest downfall of most Christians, it is why so many have a lack of confidence in Him when circumstances change in their lives, they begin to doubt and so they begin to fear. With fear comes a lack of faith, and that my friends is not only a sin, it is much more than what the word disrespectful can entail. Almost all fear comes from the immediate, the circumstances that are not relevant in nature to what we expect, change brings with it a foreboding of the future, “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” (Matt. 6:25) This has little meaning to those who have not learned to trust, and you cannot trust unless you obey, they go hand in hand.
Many believers today feel as if the Almighty is obligated to take care of them, but that trust ends with circumstances, it does not envelope the entirety of their being. When David was pursued by enemies, he did not doubt, but he had absolutely no problem in questioning the Lord’s motives, today we do both, we question and doubt. “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” (Matt. 8:26) “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” (Matt. 6:8) Do not fear, be not afraid, do you think the Lord does not know about these emotional stumbling blocks we put in front of ourselves, do you believe He cannot understand what it means to fear, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matt. 26:39) He understands perfectly, better than we could ever hope to, but anxiousness, fear, that is another story, not once did He doubt, not once.
The lack of confidence we know in ourselves is never to be transferred over to a lack of confidence in Christ, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Phil. 4:13) Sometimes though those things must be done at the same moment that we are fearful, in fact, that is where we grow the most. When the possibility of repercussions, in no matter what form they may appear, come upon us, we must move forward with confidence on one side and fear on the other. Do you think when the sons of Jacob walked through the walls of water on dry ground, the sea rolling on both sides, that they were happy and singing, or fearful, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2) “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)
Only cute little memory verses for far too many who call Christ Lord today, when fear envelopes them, they freeze. “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” (Prov. 24:10)
Fear my friends is where we grow, there is no fear on the mountaintop, but we grow closer in our faith, in our complete trust in the Most High in the valleys, and that walk down into the valley can be just as trying. For on that walk into the unknown our faith is put to the greatest test, we have no one to rely on but Christ, here is where we begin the walk of faith. It is why it is wise and honoring to the Lord to ask for help for ourselves in times of trials and tribulations, we know in ourselves not where we should be in our relationship to Him, and we desire above all to be as close to Him as possible. “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.” (Phil. 3:10)
Why? So all anxiousness, all fear will be removed, so complete trust in Him will rule our daily lives, so we will fear not. Without a view of the eternal, without complete confidence that heaven awaits, this will be impossible, you will continue to be cast about on the waves of the immediate, on the waves of emotions. Think on these words, search within yourself, just how much do you really trust Him, how sure are you of His protection, provisions, and care for you. Can you say with Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” (Job 13:15)
