Last week, my son got sick with a virus that had him down with a high fever for several days. As a result, my anxiety was through the roof. It was hard to see my son so sick for so long. But anxiety is nothing new. Each week, or day, the anxiety I feel decides what it will focus on. Last week, it was my son’s health. Next, it may be a relationship in conflict, it may be my own health, it may be the uncertainty of the future, it may be the current cultural climate or tragic current events or….. it could really be just about anything. And a lot of those times, the thing that I am anxious about is not a reality. It is the possibility of a reality. Of something that may be true one day, but is not true today.

Last week though in my Bible reading plan, we read Psalm 53. Verse 5 says, “There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror!” And there I was – afraid when there was nothing to fear.

Matthew 6:34 says, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Jesus tells us here not be anxious about tomorrow because each day has enough trouble of its own. I don’t know about you, but this isn’t really the comforting truth I want to wrap around myself! But for the believer, we can be comforted. Because we know that what Jesus said right before this in Matthew 6 is also true – we are always under the gracious care of our Heavenly Father. He knows all of our needs, and He cares for us. 2 Corinthians 1 says that He is the God of all comfort who will comfort us in all of our affliction. And so, we hold tight to this truth and this reality, and what Jesus reminds us of in Matthew 6 is that the trouble of tomorrow is not the trouble of today. We need not worry about something that may be a reality tomorrow but is not a reality today.

At the end of the book of Philippians, Paul writes, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (4:8). So, I remind myself to consider what is true and think on those things. I remind myself not to dwell on things that are just not true today. And trust the God of all comfort who cares for me. We are always under His gracious care. And so let us live casting our anxieties on Him, and do not live like we are in great terror where there is no terror.