Fractured families. Crippling financial debt. Political strife. Rampant violence and immorality. Scuffling economies. Countries in turmoil. Unstable job security and an unemployment epidemic. Widespread hunger. Catastrophic weather events. Poor health. Uncertain futures. Religious persecution. In almost any direction you look today, there is some issue that could cause you to worry.

We live under a constant tidal wave of bad news—that shouldn’t be a surprise in such a sinful world. But in light of that bad news, it’s easy to sometimes forget or ignore Paul’s command to “be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6).

The potential for anxiety multiplies exponentially if you’ve got children or grandchildren. What kind of world will we leave behind for them? What kind of religious persecution will they live under? What opportunities will they have, and how will they pay for the mistakes of previous generations?

It’s enough to keep you awake at night.

However, that’s not what the Lord wants. Believers’ lives are not meant to be filled with sleepless nights, panic attacks, and crippling anxiety. We know God is in sovereign control of even the smallest details, and we should rest in His constant care for His people.

We know that, but how often do we live it out? Over the coming weeks, we’re going to look at practical ways to conquer anxiety and trust in God through even the most dire circumstances.

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For now, we want to hear from you. What causes you anxiety? What causes you to lose sight—even temporarily—of God’s sovereign control and care? And what do you do about it?

This series originally appeared on the GTY website Copyright 2012, Grace to You. All rights reserved. Used by permission.”

I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.

Refrain:
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing;
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

Refrain

I’d stay in the garden with Him,
Tho the night around me be falling;
But He bids me go- thru the voice of woe,
His voice to me is calling.

Refrain

“Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Your word to Your servant” (Psalm 119:76).

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When the circumstances around us, or the turmoil within us, bring great distress, it is once again time to rely upon the Lord and His word. What comfort can fill our hearts, as we allow the Lord to speak words of peace and consolation from the scriptures into our lives.

“‘Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth’” (Matthew 5:5).

God rewards the gentle with His own joy and gladness. But more specifically, He allows such saints to “inherit the earth.” In the future the Father will completely reclaim earth, and believers will rule it with Him. Because only believers are truly gentle, Jesus could confidently proclaim “they shall inherit the earth.”

“Inherit” denotes the receiving of one’s allotted portion and correlates perfectly with Psalm 37:11—“the humble will inherit the land.” We sometimes wonder why the godless seem to prosper while the godly suffer, but God assures us that He will ultimately make things right (cf. Ps. 37:10). We must trust the Lord and obey His will in these matters. He will settle everything in the right way at the right time. Meanwhile, we can trust His promise that we, as those who are gentle, will inherit the earth. This promise also reminds us that our place in Christ’s kingdom is forever secure (cf. 1 Cor. 3:21–23).

The promise of a future inheritance also gives us hope and happiness for the present. More than a century ago George MacDonald wrote, “We cannot see the world as God means it in the future, save as our souls are characterized by meekness. In meekness we are its only inheritors. Meekness alone makes the spiritual retina pure to receive God’s things as they are, mingling with them neither imperfection nor impurity.”

Ask Yourself
Yes, it often seems as though everyone “inherits the earth” but us mild-mannered believers. But what truly makes life enjoyable on the earth? And why do the curt and the coarsest among us not really get to experience its simple pleasures?

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From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610