It is futile to anxiously seek after the things that our heavenly Father already knows we need. Instead, we are to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (v. 33). Then we will find that He makes provision for our daily needs, “and all these things will be added to you” (v. 33).

Anxiety. Everyone’s experienced it. Ask the child who gets bullied at school, the teenager who compares herself to others on social media, the college student preparing for exams, the young professional striving for a promotion, parents caring for an injured or sick child, and the elderly facing significant health issues. Anxiety is one of the top reasons people seek counsel. Books abound on the topic. And today it’s considered an epidemic, both in the United States and around the world. When you hear the word anxiety what do you think about? Specifically, what makes you anxious?

Anxiety is not new. In fact, the Bible addresses anxiety, which begins in the heart. In the Bible the heart includes our emotions, will, and mind. Since Jesus taught about anxiety in His famous Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), let’s examine what He had to say about it with the aim to understand why we’re anxious and what we can do about it.   

Jesus exhorts us to not be anxious, “do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on” (Matt. 6:25). Jesus doesn’t want us to be anxious about the needs of daily living, such as food, clothing and shelter. Earlier in His sermon He had taught us to pray to the Father for such needs, “Give us this day our daily bread” (v. 10). By asking a question Jesus reminds us that life is about more than these bare necessities, “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” While Jesus doesn’t deny these are basic needs, He reminds us that to worry about such things robs us of the life He has for us. We cannot glorify God and enjoy our relationship with Him if we’re anxious about food and clothing.

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