I have one possible, but powerful cure for what ails you today. What most troubles you? Well, you do! We fear our fears. We worry about our worries. We are anxious about our anxieties. And so, the monster feeds itself. We limp through our days wounded and walking in egg shells often of our own design. When we rest our minds on our fears and worries we give them life and strength and power. Yet, Paul exhorts us “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything.” Phil 4:5-6
It can’t be that easy, can it? My worries and fears are great, towering clouds that block out any light! I cannot see beyond my fear. When worry triumphs and terrorizes, what does it matter the the Lord is near?
Well, I think that I know what the deeper problem is. Your fears are too great and your Lord is too small. A big worry makes a small Lord. But, a big Lord makes your fear shrivel. Now, do not misunderstand. I am not belittling your anxieties. No. Wait. Yes I am – I am belittling them – in comparison with the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord is near. Where is the comfort in that you ask? The one who has conquered sin and death has also given the antidote to fear and worry. The one who has all power in heaven and earth is your elder brother and friend. Omnipotence is in his hands. Jesus, who has loved you from before the foundation of the world, will hold your hand into eternity future where you will see him face to face; this is the Lord that is near. This is our worry-crushing Lord. He has your troubles and your tomorrows in his gracious hands. All will be well.
“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7). Rest your mind on the living, triumphant, reigning Lord of Glory and your anxieties may dissolve like mist. You are not enslaved in circumstance’s capricious hands, but set free by the nail scared hands of your savior. Fear not, for the Lord is at hand.