‘Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”’
Matthew 21:21-22
Jesus says these words at the end of his first “roller coaster ride” into Jerusalem. He does a lot of big, bold stuff, and then says to his disciples that they, too, can move mountains.
If you’ve ever been on a roller coaster you know the feeling: Everything starts slowly. You’re buckled in, and the car moves slowly out of the gate, and then up, up, up that first hill. You know what’s coming next…. That feeling: You reach the top of the first hill, and you’re about to take the plunge. Nervous. Anxious. Excited.
If you love rollercoasters, then you’re like: “Yes, I can’t wait!” If you hate them, then you’re like: “We’re all gonna die!” You’re pretty safe and secure in a rollercoaster. So, no big. You’re going to be fine. But when you’re about to go through something in real life, it’s different.
You’re about to move, to start a new job. You’re about to get medical treatment for something that’s scary, and you had no idea it was coming. You’re about to enter a season that will make or break your business. Or maybe you’re looking at the state of the world, and you’re thinking, “Are we on the edge of huge changes?”
How do we deal with that kind of anxiety? The kinds that can paralyze or significantly stall the good work we want to do?
There are many things we can and should do, but the first, necessary thing, is to have faith – the kind of faith Jesus spoke about at the end of that first roller coaster ride into Jerusalem. It is possible to grow in faith so that, when we meet the challenges we must, we can build with a steady hand and according to God’s will. Faith, Jesus says, can grow stronger or weaker.
The New Testament speaks about faith in two ways: It’s a miracle and a muscle. That we have faith is a miracle. We are saved by grace through the gift of faith: No one can give himself faith. It’s miraculous if you have it. But once we have it, there is stuff we can do on our side, that grows or shrinks our faith.
Anxiety tends to shrink what we think is possible – our faith in the future, and even in God’s promises. Anxiety is contagious, and we can spread and escalate it unless we know how to manage it. When you catch anxiety, you can function but not the way you want to – not the way you know you can. Here’s what happens: You no longer see what’s going on. You’re ‘infected’ by triggers, assumptions, and stories you tell yourself. You get wrapped up in yourself.
When God comes into all that, and shows you how to manage your anxiety, you’re able to grow in faith. That looks like the ability to be calm, aware, and fully present to yourself, others, and God.
Here is a great prayer tool to sort through anxiety: Ask God, “In this situation, with this person or people, what is mine to carry? What is Yours to carry? What is theirs to carry?” When you ask these three questions, God begins to show you how he is at work in all the places, and with all the people, you want to love and serve. When we know he’s at work, the anxiety begins to subside. Does it ever fully go away? No, but it can get better because we begin to see how God is out ahead of us, making a way for us in all of life’s difficulties.
This is what we saw in our story from Matthew 21: Jesus out ahead of his disciples, doing the work, and then inviting us to grow our faith. He is a good and faithful God, who does not leave us alone to do that hard work. Jesus will walk alongside you, to help you overcome worry and doubt, so that you can begin to move the mountains in your life.