1 Chronicles 1:1–2:17
Acts 23:11-35
Psalm 3:1-8
Proverbs 18:14-15
BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:
Psalm 3:5-6 (CSB) "I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid of thousands of people who have taken their stand against me on every side."
REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):
Anxiety is a huge problem in our society.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, "(a)nxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18% of the population."
But, while we may not struggle with clinical anxiety, many are continually struggle with worry, stress, and the resulting loss of sleep, sluggishness, discouragement, and many other symptoms.
Is it any wonder that one of the largest sections of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is when Jesus told us 3 times "don't be anxious" (Matthew 6:25-34).
Well, it's easy to tell someone "don't be anxious." But, it's quite another to give them a substantive reason for not being anxious.
And Jesus, being the infinitely wise God, has given us that reason.
The answer to anxiety is trust.
If I were in the back seat of a car on an interstate where everyone was traveling at least 65 mph and I didn't trust the driver, I would be nervous. Every time he changed lanes or got even reasonably close to another car, I would get anxious.
But, if I were a child in the back seat of the car and my dad or mom was driving and I fully trusted them, I wouldn't even care about the traffic. I wouldn't be nervous at all. Because I trusted my parents.
Trust frees us from the vise of anxiety.
Trust is the answer to anxiety that Jesus gives us in the Sermon on the Mount. If you read Matthew 6:25-34, you can see that He is clearly saying that we need to trust our Heavenly Father.
In our Verse for Today, we see the same reasoning.
Psalm 3:5-6 (CSB) "I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid of thousands of people who have taken their stand against me on every side."
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, "(a)nxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18% of the population."
But, while we may not struggle with clinical anxiety, many are continually struggle with worry, stress, and the resulting loss of sleep, sluggishness, discouragement, and many other symptoms.
Is it any wonder that one of the largest sections of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is when Jesus told us 3 times "don't be anxious" (Matthew 6:25-34).
Well, it's easy to tell someone "don't be anxious." But, it's quite another to give them a substantive reason for not being anxious.
And Jesus, being the infinitely wise God, has given us that reason.
The answer to anxiety is trust.
If I were in the back seat of a car on an interstate where everyone was traveling at least 65 mph and I didn't trust the driver, I would be nervous. Every time he changed lanes or got even reasonably close to another car, I would get anxious.
But, if I were a child in the back seat of the car and my dad or mom was driving and I fully trusted them, I wouldn't even care about the traffic. I wouldn't be nervous at all. Because I trusted my parents.
Trust frees us from the vise of anxiety.
Trust is the answer to anxiety that Jesus gives us in the Sermon on the Mount. If you read Matthew 6:25-34, you can see that He is clearly saying that we need to trust our Heavenly Father.
In our Verse for Today, we see the same reasoning.
Psalm 3:5-6 (CSB) "I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid of thousands of people who have taken their stand against me on every side."
The Psalmist was able to sleep even if thousands of people were against him "because the LORD sustains me." He was trusting in the Lord and His provision. As a result, He was able to lie his head on his pillow at night and enjoy restful sleep.
Does trusting the Lord guarantee that everything will go well for us and that we will find the results pleasant? Of course not. We live in a broken, Genesis 3 world. Bad things are going to happen.
But, even in those bad times, we trust the Lord. We realize that nothing can happen to us unless it passes through His hands. He either actively wills what we experience or He passively allows what we experience. But, everything has to be approved by Him.
Added to this is the fact that He has promised that everything that we experience is intended to make us more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-29).
So, trust Him. Whether life gets easy or gets hard, trust your Heavenly Father's heart.
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