The Problem with Anxiety
And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. (42) “But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:41-42 NKJV)
Martha
Martha was a servant’s servant. But when the Lord came to visit, Mary, her sister, sat and spent time with the “company” which left Martha to do all the work of setting out the china and making sure that the roast lamb was properly prepared. Martha needed help and she wasn’t getting it from Mary But Mary does not seem to be anxious. Obviously, she is enjoying the Lord’s company and she could care less if the meal was ready and the table was set and the rugs were vacuumed. Now I understand that the Lord commended Mary and he cautioned Martha. She was so busy that she was missing out on a great time with the Lord. I understand that. But I identify with Martha. Who was going to do the work if she didn’t?
The Problem with Anxiety that can be Cured
When the Lord was anticipating his coming crucifixion in the garden, he said, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done (Luke 22:42 NKJV).”
Now the Lord knew what was going to happen to Him and He was willing to accept the plan of the Father that had been laid out in an eternity past. He was in total submission to that plan. But often we do not know what the plan of God is when we pray and we say things like, “the Lord’s will be done.” However, do we really mean that? I mean do we really have the ability to accept the Lord’s will if it is different from our will? I think that is a great cause of anxiety. We could avoid a lot of anxious nights if we meant it when we say, “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
One of My Greatest Anxieties
There are people that I would like to see in heaven and I don’t know if they are really prepared to meet the Lord or not. I believe that every person has an individual responsibility to either believe the Lord and trust Him or to reject Him. So I am not really sure what promise I have when I pray for people to be saved. Can my prayers save them? No! Should I pray for them to be saved? Yes! But therein is a great cause for anxiety.
Conclusion
I know that we are to “Be anxious for nothing (Philippians 4:6).” I know that being anxious for a Christian means that we are having a problem with trusting the Lord. But if I quit worrying about the serving, won’t I be considered lazy? If I pray “in the Lord’s will” and He doesn’t respond as I think He should, does that mean that I was not willing to subject myself to the Father’s will? If I pray for people to be saved or restored to the Lord, can I honestly say that I know that my prayers are going to make a difference? I come by anxiety honestly. I suspect some of you do as well. Probably the solution for anxiety starts with admitting that we are frail in this area. We need to quit acting like we have it all together. Otherwise we will be anxious about our anxiety.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of January 17, 2021