In an article titled Anxious for Nothing Addressing the Worry I can’t Explain, Jared Wilson expresses several things we can do with our “anxious nothings!” Anxious nothings: those things we worry about constantly but can’t control. This category ranges from the panicked parents with multiple children who want their house looking like the front cover of Magnolia magazine at all times, (often forgetting the nature of their sticky little blessings) to others sincerely battling a constant state of anxiety twith such intensity they’ve even attempted to make peace with their lack of peace! In the article, Wilson offers some helpful solutions. 1) We can adopt healthier habits through a life of spiritual disciplines and sacrifice. 2) We can stop saying yes to everything anyone asks of us out of a fear of being unliked; connected to our self-worth no doubt. But the real kicker is at the end of his piece when he brings it all back to Jesus Christ’s main remedy for a life of anxiety and fear: the solid rock practice of casting all our burdens swiftly onto the back of the One who has asked for them AND the Only One who has the ability to carry them.
Aren’t you glad we don’t have to understand everything about our cares before casting them? You just need to know He cares for you. He doesn’t love some idealized version of you. He really loves the broken, weird, messed-up you. So much so that while you were a sinner hating Him, He saves you in that sin. And the more we know the nature of God (Biblical Discipleship) and the more we see the nature of man (literally everywhere), the more we can remind ourselves of the One working it all towards our undeserved good and His deserved glory. In other words, He’s there for us in our time of need, absolutely, but do we recognize our need for Him is an every hour kind of need? God is not the ejector seat, He’s the heartbeat. For example, the author of Hebrews seeks to make our nature and the nature of the Lord so clear we can’t help but leave encouraged and blessed at what our Savior has done while being reminded of how important it is to actively draw near to the Lord!
Hebrews 4:14-16: “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
I love what Roman Catholic reject Martin Luther says about this passage. “First, the apostle terrifies us and then he comforts us.” Like when a caring relative “googles” your symptoms and after you’re good and terrified at the list of possibilities based on “a cough” she then reminds you God is the Great Physician and prays “God we just want your will to be done” over you. Thanks Auntie!
The unknown author of 14-16 is addressing the warning in Hebrews 4:1-13 reminding them how terrifying it is to think that we could honestly fail to believe and fail to enter into the rest that the Lord has so graciously provided YET live our entire lives thinking we know the Lord intimately and genuinely trust Him. But after he warns us, after he terrifies us, he COMFORTS us. And boy does he comfort us in these verses! The summation and something we all need to hear RIGHT NOW??
Let Us Hold Fast To Our Confession OF FAITH while the majestic LORD GOD Holds Onto Us!!!
This year it’s the RONA, this Fall it’ll be Hurricanes and with the upcoming election prepare for mass media outlets to offer you a buffet of doom and gloom. REGARDLESS, our trust is now and forever in the sovereign God. Rest. In. Him. Cast your cares to heaven where they belong and get to work on the mission. Your neighbor will not believe your Savior is sovereign if messengers of the Gospel live like He isn’t even in control of the beaches opening. God bless, Beloved. My heart longs for congregational worship very soon!