Do Not Be Anxious

Know That God Values Your Thoughts

You may have heard the statistic that most of the fears we grapple with are unfounded because the possibility of them occurring is improbable — studies show that about 97 percent of the things we worry about have no grounding in the reality that will eventually unfold.

Yet, without a doubt, we all face anxieties that are rooted in immutable facts. There’s the unsettling medical report, the broken relationship, the prodigal child who seems too far away to come home, chronic disease wears us down, a pile of rejection letters competing with a stack of mounting bills…and the list goes on. Despite what the statistics say, it feels like our fears are completely logical and valid.

But here’s the incredible, soul-freeing truth: God knows all those facts and understands our worries about them. He doesn’t dismiss our anxieties as frivolous or inconsequential. His Word says that He perceives our thoughts from afar (Psalm 139: 2). If He didn’t value our thoughts, He wouldn’t pay such tender attention to them. If He didn’t care about our concerns, He wouldn’t incline His ear toward our cries. If He didn’t regard our emotions as important, He wouldn’t invite us to cast our anxieties on Him. His thoughts toward us outnumber the grains of sand, He is our ever-present Help in the midst of troubles, and He reminds us that we are more than conquerors through Him.

Faith doesn’t mean an absence of fear. But it’s what we do with those fears that reveal our faith. Are we taking our worries to the Lord because we trust Him through all of life’s unknowns?

Reflect

What are some of the things that make me fearful and anxious right now? Which fears are rooted in reality, and which are my thoughts spiralling or my imagination running amok? Have I turned to God with those fears?