Do you ever have days where you feel anxious? Where you find yourself worrying—maybe even terrified over the circumstances that try to hang over your life like a cloudy sky that never clears? I’ve gone through seasons of life where I have felt this way and found it difficult to keep my mind out of the worry zone.
Maybe you know that the Bible tells us that worrying accomplishes nothing positive. Luke 12:25-26 says, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not! And if worry can’t do little things like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?”
The truth is worrying only steals from us. It steals sleep. It distracts us from the leading of the Holy Spirit and attempts to diminish God’s promises into just words. Anxiety can cause stress that manifests itself in multiple symptoms of sickness. It will lead to discouragement and could take you all the way to depression or worse. It can cause you to want to isolate yourself and tune out from people and life.
That can lead to a lack of interaction with other Christians who would otherwise be a source of godly encouragement, reminding you of God’s love and care that we all desperately need. Bottom line: worrying is the pits, no matter what it is you are worrying about.
Have you also noticed that you usually worry about something that you are afraid of losing or trying to hold on to. That could be relationships, a job, or a diversity of things.
Do you remember the story in Exodus, when the Lord led the Israelites out from the most horrible circumstances under Pharaoh’s repression? The Lord took them out of a miserable place, miraculously led by fire and a cloud. He split the Red Sea. He destroyed Pharaoh’s army. He rained down supernatural angel food—manna from Heaven. He caused water to flow from a rock. Their clothes and footwear, supernaturally, did not wear out the entire time they were in the desert—40 years!
God continuously provided for them. They had little, so they had little to protect. And their worries were strictly from their imagination about what they didn’t have.
Generations later, it happened again. They had only existed as a nation and people because of God, and now, once again, they had forgotten God. They no longer prayed in sincere faith and trust to Him for help. If they did, they went right back to worry—a sign their prayers contained no faith and trust. They worried and tried anything and everything to fix their own problems and drifted from the God who had loved them so dearly to begin with.
Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord rebuked the children of Israel for letting worry steal their relationship with Him. Through Jeremiah, the Lord said, “This is what the Lord says: “What sin did your ancestors find in me that led them to stray so far? They worshiped foolish idols, only to become foolish themselves. They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord who brought us safely out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness—a land of deserts and pits, of drought and death, where no one lives or even travels?’ “And when I brought you into a fruitful land to enjoy its bounty and goodness, you defiled my land and corrupted the inheritance I had promised you. The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ The judges ignored me, the rulers turned against me, and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal, wasting their time on nonsense.” (Jer. 2:5-8)
I woke up very early this morning, suddenly feeling anxious about a situation in my life. My mind was overly active, and I could not return to sleep. I thought about these scriptures. I awoke, got on my knees, and began to worship the Lord and pray. I told the Lord, I am not going to let cares and worries drive me to this place. I cast this mountain of worry into the sea. You love me. You care for me. You are the one that helps and protects me.
With thanksgiving, I prayed verses from this chapter, expressing my thanks for taking my life from a pit and leading me to a good place in Him. I prayed, Lord, I had nothing. Everything I now have, and every good thing in my life, is because of you. I refuse to dishonor you by worrying. I will draw near in worship to you—the one who loves and cares for me.
The clouds lifted. The anxiety I felt was crushed like a bug. God’s promises resounded loudly, and my heart was refreshed. My faith was strengthened and my day launched with joy!
Crush the worthless anxiety trying to come on you and let your trust in God soar!
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Phil. 4:6)
Timothy Burt is a pastor, author, and writer. He is best known as the author of Fresh Manna, a daily devotional and online Bible study.
Pastor Tim became a part of the leadership team at Living Word Christian Center in 1984 and was an Associate Pastor from 1989 until May 31st, 2017. He and His wife Renee, also a Pastor at Living Word, resigned after being a part of Living Word for 33 years on May 31, 2017. They felt impressed by God to pursue the tremendous growth of their ministry "Fresh Manna," as well as teaching conferences and seminars and increasing their involvement in the mission field through Tim and Renee Burt Ministries. Tim has a Bachelor of Theology degree and is a Christian blogger who has been writing a daily inspirational and teaching devotion three days a week called "Fresh Manna" for the past 22 years. It has been read in over 227 countries (official countries and territories). Tim was named one of the top 55 blogging Pastors. He is one of the top Social Media influencers in Minnesota with a strong presence on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TimBurt with over 187,000 followers. Between Tim's Fresh Manna Devotional and Twitter influence, he virally averages reaching over 4 million people daily with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the love of God.
Prior to working at LWCC, he worked at Northwest Airlines for 13 years. In 1985 he founded and was President of American Infant Care Products which marketed his patented invention, the first fold-down commercial infant changing table now used worldwide in public restrooms.
In their tenure at Living Word, Timothy Burt and his wife Renee created a Small Group Ministry when the church was about 800 people in size. Under the leadership of Sr. Pastors Mac and Lynne Hammond, the church grew to over 10,000 people. Pastor Tim and Renee led a diverse Small Group Ministry of over 200 groups. Tim also led weekly men's groups and a monthly Men's Breakfast of 250 plus men called Manhood for 27 years. Tim's responsibilities also included oversight over the Visitor and Member Relations Department, Leadership and Volunteer Development, and the Pastoral Care Department. Pastor Tim was also the Minnesota State Director of Christians United for Israel from 2006 thru 2017.
Tim and Renee are the parents of four children and have seven grandchildren. Tim loves to write, golf, run, and walk, and is a master gardener. He is a five-time marathon finisher. He is also a three-time award-winning gardener winning the Grand Prize in his city for his beautiful home garden and is a Master Gardener for the University of Minnesota's Master Gardener Extension Program.