Anxiety

I can’t help but wonder—as much as Jesus quoted the Old Testament—if He was trying to make an application for His sermon-on-the-mountainside audience regarding David’s statement in the Psalms, “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.” The argument could be made that David did not face the ominous prospects we face—nuclear proliferation, dysfunctional government, riotous social change, disasters, mass murders, hyper-zealotry for religious fundamentalism. David didn’t worry about a nuclear North Korea. Does his Psalm apply today?

David didn’t have to sort through the rationale behind suicide bombers. But then again, David spent a fair bit of time running for his life and dodging hurled spears from Israel’s disgruntled and insecure monarch.

I think we all face the temptation to believe our concerns are the gravest of all time and that no one has ever faced the pressures we face. Of course, in our rational moments we know this is not the case, but the temptation persists nevertheless.

Our Heavenly Father knows the pervasiveness of this temptation and still inspired David to say, “Even in the face of multiplying anxieties, Your consolations—thoughts, comforting perspective, and encouragement—delight my soul.”

God is a great communicator. I gather He realized the verses above would be too abstract for folks like us in the thick of things. So, He provided illustrations. I’ve isolated two of them for my next blog.