The Anxiety Antidote

by Tom Goodman

Don’t underestimate the damage that worry can do to faith and life. Even tiny flies can bring down the king of beasts, and worry can do the same to you.

Tiny flies known as “stomoxys” will bite a lion and then keep biting its wounds, inflicting nagging, relentless pain. Over time, the lion dies of trauma. A few years ago, at least six lions in Tanzania’s world-famous wildlife park were killed by swarms of these flies.

Our worries can do the same to us. Left unchecked, our anxieties will buzz around us like a swarm of blood-sucking flies, pestering us and distressing us until we collapse.

Maybe we’re revealing more than we intend when we sigh and say, “I’m worried sick!”

As the late Corrie Ten Boom once noted, “Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.” That’s why Jesus said, “Don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes” (Matthew 6:34, Msg).

Of course, warnings against worry create an interesting phenomenon: We start worrying about worrying!

That means we need more than a reprimand: We need a cure! Psalm 3 reveals the anxiety antidote. The third psalm of the Bible is also the third psalm of our series, Sacred Blues. In his book, Just Do Something, Kevin DeYoung wrote: “We walk into the future in God-glorifying confidence, not because the future is known to us but because it is known to God.  And that’s all we need to know.” If you haven’t reached that state of worry-free living, see you this Sunday at 10!

It’s Not Too Late to Join the Anchor Course. Each Wednesday starting September 16, I’m leading an 8-week book study called the Anchor Course. It’s designed for those who are trying to make up their mind about Christianity, and also for those who want to explain the faith to others. To sign up, contact Lisa at 512-345-3771 or lisa@hillcrest.church. Learn more at www.Hillcrest.Church/AnchorCourse. 

Special Women’s Event: Our WINGS ministry is hosting “Love, Sweat, and Tears” this Saturday with special speaker Julie Lyles Carr. Find out more and register at www.Hillcrest.Church/WINGS.

Prayer Walk. On Saturday October 3, from 8-10am, we’ll treat you to breakfast tacos and give you an assigned area to pray over. Don’t miss it! Sign up at www.Hillcrest.Church/PrayerWalk.