In just a few days, families all across America will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. But for many people, this year’s Thanksgiving will look very different. At-risk family members may be absent from gatherings. Special food dishes may be no longer affordable and go unprepared. Christians may not be able to gather in their churches to sing and give thanks to God. This year seems to have not given us much to be thankful for. Instead, it has given us a lot to be anxious and worried about. Our heads are filled with questions like, “When will I go back to work? When will my kids go back to school? What happens if I get sick? Will I have enough money to buy Christmas presents this year? When will things return to normal?”
While these questions and others like them are “normal,” they are not something that we should spend a lot of time dwelling on.
When we focus too much on what worries us or makes us anxious, we often start to doubt God’s power and sovereignty. In his book Anxious for Nothing, pastor John MacArthur writes,
“Anxiety is blatant distrust of the power and love of God… When you worry, you are saying in effect, ‘God, I just don’t think I can trust You.’ Worry strikes a blow at the person and character of God.”[1]
God is good, and He loves us. He is sovereign and all-powerful. He is trustworthy, and He provides for the needs of His people. Why then are we anxious? Why then do we worry? We need to be reminded to trust in God, and that is why MacArthur wrote Anxious for Nothing.
MacArthur begins his book by reminding Christians of how much God cares for us and that God calls us to humbly trust Him with all our anxieties. Throughout the rest of the book, he shares how believers can let go of their worries through things like reading the Bible, prayer, focusing on godly things, obeying God, and gathering with other believers. MacArthur focuses on the importance of peace and contentment in the life of the Christian, and he provides a list of psalms in the back of the book that are particularly comforting. One idea that stuck out to me while I was reading the book is this-
“Anxiety cannot survive in an environment of praise to God.”[2]
Instead of focusing on your anxieties this holiday season, give praise and thanks to God! Praise Him for remaining faithful throughout this insane time. Thank Him for the unexpected blessings of more family time and extra rest. Choose worship over worry!
While the style of John MacArthur’s book was not my favorite, the book contains many helpful tips on how to let go of anxiety and trust God in these crazy times. If you need help casting your cares on God, pick up this book. And I hope that, despite the current circumstances you are in, you will choose to praise God and give Him thanks.
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18, ESV
[1] John MacArthur, Anxious for Nothing: God’s Cure for the Cares of Your Soul (Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2012), 18, 29.
[2] Ibid., 73.
