Fear is winning and has disabled many of us. Our days and nights are spent consumed with anxiety. We worry about the troublesome implications of past decisions. We worry about the uncertain possibilities of our future. All together these result in our inability to move forward in the present. We can spend the whole journey of life riddled with anxiety because of the many things that are out of our control.

Anxiety says: "It’s up to me. I have to handle it on my own.” But without God, we can accomplish very little towards finding peace of mind.

In a stirring encouragement to early Christians, he called for humility as the means to set aside anxiety: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).How can we continually cope with such intense pressure and anxiety? The apostle Peter gave us vital instruction that we can rest upon.

What happens to our anxiety when we humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand? We place ourselves in the hands of the One who has the power and desire to release us from anxiety’s grip!

Anxiety says, “It’s up to me”

We can’t allow our pride to keep us from seeking God’s help. Jesus pointed out the utter uselessness of anxiety of and by itself: "And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” (Luke 12:25). Anxiety says: "It’s up to me. I have to handle it on my own.” But without God, we can accomplish very little towards finding peace of mind. “If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?” (Luke 12:26).

In the book of Ecclesiastes, wise Solomon also has a lot to say about the useless approach of taking on worrisome circumstances alone: “If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree falls to the south or the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie” (Ecclesiastes 11:3).

What control do we have over how much water will empty from the clouds? Or the direction in which a tree falls?

Dealing with anxiety on our own fails to produce any worthwhile results and it will prevent us from living a productive life. Solomon went on to say, “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap” (Ecclesiastes 11:4).

Whosoever watches the wind will not plant! Why? Because without God there are no certainties. There will always be “rain in the clouds” that can paralyze us from moving forward with confidence. But with God, we can plow onward with assurance even if the conditions seem unfavorable or impossible.

Anxiety fills our minds with more questions than answers. But God has all the answers! “As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything” (Ecclesiastes 11:5). Our Creator works in our lives, knowing every answer.

Don’t worry, just sow!

“In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good” (Ecclesiastes 11:6). Don’t worry about the results, put your energy towards sowing.

In life, we can’t always know which efforts will succeed. We can worry ourselves about which seed will come up first or if it will produce at all. Solomon emphatically urges us to sow diligently and feel comfort in knowing that God will determine the outcome.

Extraordinarily Peter carried this understanding even further by saying that if we turn to God during our difficult times, joy will be our companion, not anxiety. “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love” (1 Peter 1:6-8).

Even though we may not fully understand every detail regarding the trying circumstances we encounter, we can still rejoice knowing that God is looking to exalt us in due time! Wonderfully He has given us the understanding of His ultimate purpose for our life. Through the struggles we face, God is working out a greater joy to come. He loves us very much, so when paralyzing anxiety looms, remember to humbly cast your cares on God!