"Therefore I am saying to you, not worry about your soul, what you may be eating, or what you may be drinking, nor yet about your body, what you should be putting on. Is not the soul more than nourishment, and the body more than apparel? Look at the flying creatures of heaven, that they are not sewing, neither are they reaping, nor are they gathering into barns, and your heavenly Father is nourishing them. Are not you of more consequence than they? Now who of you by worrying is able to add on to his stature one cubit?"
Matthews Account 6: 25-27, Concordant New Testament
As someone who has dealt with stress on many levels, I can honestly say that stress and worry do absolutely nothing as far as our individual health goes. In fact, quite the opposite is true. It is well known that worry and stress often lead to adverse effects in our bodies. From lack of sleep and changes in weight to a much higher propensity of getting sick, stress very often leads to a negative reaction within us. And what is usually the main cause of our stress? Worry, that's what. We worry and we fret over situations which have not come to pass. We worry over that which we feel we need in order to survive. We also often worry too much about how others see us? For much of my life, I often spent a lot of time worrying over how it was that people saw me. Did they like me? If not, why? That got me to thinking, is worry and stress a normal part of our life? Some might think so. But how is it that Jesus sees the subject of our worries? I truly believe that the same worries that we have today were often shared by those of Jesus' day in one way or another. Worries over food, acceptance and what tomorrow might bring. What does Jesus have to say about this? Simple, DO NOT worry. In His sermon on the mount we find in the book of Matthew, Jesus lays out just how we should look upon our own worries. That we should not be worrying about our soul, what we eat or drink or our body {Matthews Account 6:25}. How much better will our lives be if we were not constantly worrying over such things? Even though I have come to know the truth of my life in Jesus, I still have my moments where I worry over that which I cannot yet see. Jesus provides for us the example of the birds of the air, how they do not sew nor reap, yet the Father provides for them {Matthews Account 6:26}. Then, He pops the question we should all be asking ourselves, "Who of you by worrying is able to add on to his stature on cubit" {Matthews Account 6:27}? In other words, what benefit is worry and stress to you personally? If we trust in the words of Jesus, we already know that answer.
Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, that is superior to every frame of mind, shall be garrisoning your hearts and apprehensions in Christ Jesus
Paul to the Philippians 4: 6-7, Concordant New Testament
I believe that the apostle Paul speaks well to our worry in Philippians. For Paul proclaims that we do not worry, but that we make our requests made known to God, who will guard our hearts and apprehensions in Christ {Paul to the Philippians 4:6-7}. Amen! For I believe that there is no anxiety medication nor expensive therapy session which can be more beneficial to us than placing our trust in God. Part of the false belief in the lie of the accuser is that we have been separated from God. This is simply not true. It is the Father Who has always been with us. We have been created in His very image {Genesis 1:27}. Jesus has spoken to the truth that we live our lives in Him {Johns Account 14:20}. If we trust in the truth that our life is in Him, then we will also trust in Him to accept whatever worries we might have. After all, our life is not lived alone, but in Him. I believe that this is why Paul calls upon us to make our requests known to God, because by doing so removes that burden of stress from us. And once that burden of stress is removed, our physical bodies will no longer suffer the adverse effects which stress puts upon us. Yet to do this is to trust in God completely. To know that whatever happens, that our life is lived securely in Him. Whatever trials and stresses we might encounter, we can rest assured that God has encouraged us to leave it all with Him. He is the great physician.
~Scott~
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