There is one statement in these verses that particularly grabs my attention at first glance. “Do not be anxious about anything”. In some ways, many of us might not even be able to picture a life that looks like this.
Have you ever seen a young child being taken care of by his/her mother, and almost become jealous that life could be so easy for them? After all, they never have to worry about a thing. A child’s world is one where worries of finances, responsibilities, pressures, and stability cease to exist. In a recent time of stress for me, I too found myself wishing I could be a child again, back when I just knew everything was taken care of.
As I pondered what that would be like to live this way, my Heavenly Father reminded me that this is the kind of freedom we get to experience as a child of God. You live and breathe differently when you know you’re taken care of. You can live like you’re not worried or anxious about anything, because your good Father is the source of everything you need.
Child-like dependency upon a loving Father incites a peace like no other. A peace that surpasses all understanding. In these verses and throughout the story of God, He never tells us to just fix our anxious thoughts. We are instead invited into an unbreakable, constant communication with the Almighty. We can rest, knowing that we are wholly taken care of in every circumstance, and that God will never turn away from our petitions and requests.