In the
early chapters of Anxious for Nothing,
pastor and author Max Lucado describes the kind
of harried, distracted anxiety that people suffer
in modern life. Many are depressed by troubling things going on all around that
repeat all day on newscasts.
Honestly,
that is not the reason I picked up the book. I did not have a particularly
gloomy outlook. Nor was I consciously worked up about much. I was driving by an
amygdala-induced fear that I
didn’t understand. Even so, I read the rest of the book.
Anxious for Nothing is an extended
sermon, taking its main text as Philippians 4:4-8. The Main
points for the acronym CALM:
-ask
God for help,
-leave
your concerns with Him and
“Rejoice
in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be
known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will
guard your hearts and mind ins Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-8 (NKJV)
For Christians, there is plenty of
good to be found in God that can allay our fears. God is in control.
He has demonstrated His love and mercy toward us in Christ. He has a good plan
for us and He is able to carry it out.
God
hears our prayers for help. He invites
us to ask for what we want. His own love for us motivates Him to answer our
prayers; though sometimes He has better things in mind for us than we might
imagine. We can rely on His promises, which He encourages us to rehearse,
though He never forgets them.
Because
we can rely on God, we can stop worrying. We can let things go. We can remind
ourselves of all the way God has already helped us an rest in peace.
Finally,
we can choose what we think about. Instead of worrying, we can abide in Christ.
We can dwell on what God has done for us and what He has promised, and we can
take courage.
Max
Lucado also wrote
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