We all experience some sort of situational anxiety in our lives. We may fear speaking in front of a crowd, flying on an airplane, being in a social situation, or riding a rollercoaster. Our palms are sweaty, heart is racing, and we may nervously fidget with our clothes or hair. Once the experience is over, we feel immediate relief and can usually move along with the rest of our day. We might even feel a sense of pride in ourselves for going through something so scary. Can you relate? Many of us, though, experience intense worry seemingly all the time and about nothing in particular or about everything in the universe and all things in between.
Excessive worry is something I’ve struggled with my entire life. I’m a self-proclaimed worrier. When there is nothing to worry about, I worry that I’ve forgotten to worry about something. I worry about my worries. You name it, I’ve worried about it at some point I’m sure. We fear uncertainty and things we cannot control. We all either know someone prone to anxiety or we are that person. For those of you who experience these intense nervous or fearful feelings, you know that it can be tough to overcome them. The weight of it all can be paralyzing.
Fear of the unknown and fear of the outcome of this world’s many trials seem to be at the root of much of my anxiety. While circumstances may surprise me when they arise like a thunderstorm out of nowhere, God is not at all surprised. He is, in fact, in complete control. There is nothing that can happen in my life or in yours that God doesn’t know about ahead of time. There is also nothing that can happen that God doesn’t allow. That’s tough for us to swallow isn’t it; that God would allow what we perceive to be bad or negative conditions in our lives?
In Matthew 8:23-27, we see the story of Jesus calming the storm. Verse 23 says “Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.” Its interesting to me that Jesus not only knew about the upcoming storm, but that he also must have allowed it. It’s also significant that he got into the boat first before the disciples. He literally went ahead of them into the situation just as he promises all of us in Deuteronomy 31:8. (“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”)
The Word says to us in Matthew 8:24-25 that “suddenly, a furious storm came up on the lake so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him saying ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’” If you’re like me, you are completely empathizing with the disciples right about now. You’re in sheer panic, don’t know what to do, and the guy you’re following and trusting is asleep!? We feel the same way sometimes, don’t we…that Jesus is asleep during our crisis? We don’t see our storm calming, we feel waves crashing into us, we feel like we are drowning in the stress of our circumstances. We feel scared, anxious, and panicked. Where’s Jesus? Well, he’s in the boat with us. He’s in the circumstances with us. He’s riding out the storm with us. What we perceive as Jesus sleeping is, in reality, Jesus just riding in the storm with us for a bit until he acts to either deliver us from the storm or simply just be with us until it passes. Either way, he is “sleeping” or seemingly inactive because he knows he is in control; he’s just waiting for us to figure that out, too. He’s waiting for us to trust him in our worrisome, out-of-control situations. In verse 26, Jesus says “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” The verse then tells us “he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’” In this instance, Jesus chose to deliver his disciples from the storm. Why, if they lacked faith, did Jesus decide to deliver them out of the storm? He had already planned to do so for a purpose. I suspect that he wanted his disciples and us to know that no matter the situation, he is in complete control. Not only that, but he also wants us to know that he goes into our circumstances ahead of us and remains with us through them just as he promised in Deuteronomy 31:8.
God wants to free us from our anxiety and our fear. He wants us to see him beside us in all of our trials. The next time you’re in an anxiety-provoking position, choose to see that God is ahead of you, he is with you, and while we may be uncertain of the outcome, we can be certain of the One who is in control of it all.
Today’s Prayer
Dear LORD,
You know me. You know that I can be an anxious mess. Please help me to remember your promises when I am worried or afraid. Help me to remember that you already know the outcome of all of life’s situations. Most of all, help me to trust that you are in control of everything going on in my life. Thank you for carrying me and delivering me from tough circumstances. I love you, LORD.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Daily Worship Song:
It Is Well by Bethel Music
“So let go my soul and trust in Him. The waves and wind still know His name…And it is well with my soul.”
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