Not to Worry

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Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:6,7

Not to worry? I can hear you say, “Easy for you to say!”

Because of the challenges of deployment, worry can be the constant companion when your spouse isn’t. But the Bible tells us not to worry. . . so how do we combat this enemy of worry, which really is unbelief in disguise?

Recently, a familiar writer with Ravi Zacharius’ A Slice of Infinity, Stuart McAllister, gave excellent teaching on this. First he made the case for why we are a culture saturated with fear and anxiety, and then he gave three good points to combat this gnawing problem.

“Sometimes I get the feeling from our media that there is a serious effort underway to keep us all anxious, in a state of informed concern, and always on the alert against—well, everything. Rather than a balanced, more general, and necessary exhortation to be cautious, we seem to manufacture fear. We take the advent of 24/7 news, a proliferation of ‘experts,’ and a deluge of ‘the latest studies,’ and out comes an overdose of worry or outright fear.

“Every day I am told that education standards are falling, the economy is in shambles, crime is rising, my food is dangerous, predators are on the prowl in neighborhoods, my body is under assault from saturated fats, and I can’t trust my bankers, accountants, or politicians. There are religious fanatics on the loose and weapons of mass destruction waiting to get me. Gas prices are rising, work seems hard to get, and on top of it all, the poisoned environment is gearing up to offer a big time payback.” (A Slice of Infinity, October 11, 2012)

Certainly the media can stir up inner feelings of fear in our society, but the minds of a couple living through the struggles of war and deployment can easily wander to what Linda Dillow, in Calm My Anxious Heart, calls the “spiritual diseases of the ‘what ifs,’ the ‘if onlys,’ and the ‘whys.’” (p. 150)

Mr McAllister’s gave a three-step remedy for these diseases. I recently tested it in the dark of night—awakened and brooding over our own recent family crisis. It is as simple as “Stop! Look! Listen!” The time-honored training given to little ones before crossing a busy street is the same advice he gave to one about to enter a potentially dangerous thought process.

STOP! “Learning to stop is often the beginning point in our harassed lives. Simply stop and be still.” His challenge came to me just as David’s instruction in Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.”

LOOK! “Look around, look within, evaluate, and discern.” I think we could add the value of looking back to see how God was faithful in the past to handle our problems; looking at the present to get clear on what the situation actually is; and looking forward to how God alone is going to lead us. The Bible is filled with promises of God’s provisions throughout life’s (sometimes rough) journey. Go to Him.

LISTEN! This final step leads us to what Mr. McAllister says “Socrates is identified as having observed that the unexamined life is not worth living. I think for many of us, this is the problem. We simply let life take over, circumstances dominate, and pressures define us. But a spirituality of resistance learns to say no.” Listen to what God has to say to you in your stillness—when you have actually taken time to look at the reality of your situation. And let God listen to your heart, giving your concerns to Him—in prayer.

Is this realistic, given the demands and pace of our military lives today? Can we really take the time to stop, look, and listen? The alternative is constant turmoil, in your mind and in your heart. You have a choice—peace or despair.

The next time you see your thoughts heading towards a dangerous intersection of faith and unbelief, stop, look, and listen. God has a path that He wants you to take away from worry, and it leads straight into His loving arms.

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”   —  I Peter 5:7

Work Cited:

Dillow, Linda, Calm My Anxious Heart (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1998)

“When All Else Fails, Worry!” by Stuart McAllister, A Slice of Infinity, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

Questions to Share:

1.  Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  How does trust in God eliminate worry in your life?

2.  Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”  How does understanding God’s presence prevent worry in your life?

3.  Proverbs 3:5,6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”  How does knowing God’s sovereignty dispel worry in your life?