Be anxious for nothing – is this really possible?

The Bible on anxiety

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6.

Can you really be anxious for nothing? The Bible was written in a simpler time, do verses like this still apply in today’s world with all its stresses and demands?

The Bible tells us not to be anxious, but is this actually a reasonable demand in this current day and age? How is it possible to be completely free from worry and stress when there’s so much to deal with? What if you end up losing your job unexpectedly and can’t make rent? What if your life doesn’t turn out the way you wanted it to? What if you fail your exams? What if you end up working fast food for the rest of your life and never end up in your dream job or never even get to travel? How can you know for sure that you will be successful? What if? How will you know? What would happen if…?

You can find reasons to be anxious anywhere and everywhere. You can think it is necessary to be stressed and anxious about these things. Isn’t it logical to worry about the future? But the Bible doesn’t tell us to be anxious for only the really important, big questions in our life. It tells us to be anxious for nothing!

Anxiety and God

So then the only question becomes: do you believe in the Bible?

“For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:32-33.

God is faithful. That doesn’t mean you’ll get what you want, but what He has promised! So what has God promised us? He has promised that “all these things shall be added to us.” Does that mean that we will get everything just handed to us on a silver platter? Far from it! There is a condition we must meet first and that condition is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness!

How do we seek first the kingdom of God? We simply do God’s will! God wants us to obey what’s written in the Bible. He wants us to find the sin in our own nature in every situation and to get victory over that sin! He wants us to become free from anxiety and worry. He wants us to be faithful!

The opposite of anxiety

The opposite of anxiety is faith. In faith you can go through life on earth and make all of your decisions confidently because God will guide you in every single detail. Faith is complete, blind obedience. Faith is that you do what God tells you before knowing what the result will be. Faith isn’t that you understand everything – faith is doing it anyway because you trust in God’s perfect care and guidance!

Read God’s Word, pray to Him, and do His will even if you don’t understand every tiny detail. This is how you can seek God’s kingdom first! Do this and God will take care of you.

Also read: Cast all your care upon God: A practical solution that works

That still doesn’t mean that you will get everything floated down to you from heaven either. God never promised that we would always have a big house and a cushy job, that we would always have a comfortable income and perfect health. Of course there will be trials to test us!

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.

It doesn’t say that all things work together for the easiest, most comfortable life! It says that all things work together for our good. God knows exactly what it takes to make us happy both in this life and the next. Even if you can’t immediately see why God works the way He does, you can go in faith and be obedient anyway!

We must leave all of our own concerns and anxieties behind and simply go in faith. Seek His kingdom first! As long as we are faithful to do everything God puts on our hearts, He will be faithful to take care of us, both now and in eternity. Then there really isn’t anything to be anxious about! Then we can "be anxious for nothing!"