The causes of anxiety are many: fears about the future, financial pressure, loneliness, family conflict, grief, illness and death. Yet one of the clear commands of Christ is: Don’t worry! Here our Savior gives us a double imperative: do not worry about either food or clothing, the basic necessities of life.

Far from adding to our life, anxiety always subtracts. Worry is a thief. It steals our time, our rest, our health, our hope, our obedience to God. Kierkegaard said it like this: Worriers feel every blow / That never falls / And they cry over things / They will never lose.

There are only two ways to live: for ourselves and the things of this world or by seeking out God and his kingdom. The key verb here is “seek.” To seek is to set your heart on something, to make it your main objective.

Of course we still need our daily bread. Of course we need to work so that we can eat, provide for our families, and plan for our future. The Bible speaks to all of these issues. God will take care of what we need.

But Jesus tells us not to worry about such things. Worry tosses our souls like ships on stormy seas. At issue is not what we have or do not have. At issue is what we are striving after, what we are living for, and therefore what we are anxious about.

Today as we celebrate the real joy of Christmas—that God became a man to give us peace—let us be delivered from all worldly anxiety. Our loving Father, in all his merciful, healing compassion, already knows what we need and has promised to provide it.

– Wheaton College President Philip G. Ryken, Risen with Healing in His Wings: God’s Tender Compassion for a Hurting World.