There’s so much promise in this Bible passage: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6, New King James Version). And yet, what a tall order! Be anxious for nothing. On any given day it seems there are a lot of things to be anxious about. The United States Census Bureau’s 2023 survey found that half of young American adults surveyed deal regularly with anxiety. It’s now considered an epidemic.

But there is a way out. The Bible is full of accounts of individuals being saved from fear, distress, and harm by turning straight to God in time of need. One such account is of the prophet Jeremiah. Overcome by the mistakes of the people of Judah and their unwillingness to admit their faults and live in a God-centered way, he turned from discouragement to seek direction and peace in God. He heard this reassuring guidance: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7, 8, NKJV). 

To trust in the Lord is to know God as sovereign over every thought, every care, everyone. It is to know, in fact, that divine Love reigns supreme and governs all. This divine fact provides a sure and steady foundation for our lives.