“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6
When you look at the statistics, it is pretty clear what most Americans fear. What is so fascinating about this subject is the fact that most of the time we fear things that are least likely to kill us…
Over 30 million Americans describe themselves as “anxious flyers.” Yet Arnold Bennett, a statistical expert in the field of aviation safety has said, “Statistically speaking, you would have to fly on an airplane every day for 19,000 years before you would crash.”
Another popular fear is that of shark attacks. Did you know that since 1580 there have only been 1,909 confirmed shark attacks? Only 737 of these happened in the US and only 38 people died as a result. The actual odds of you being killed by a shark are less than 1 in every 264 million.
But whether we admit it or not, these are the kinds of things that scare us to death. These are just two examples of how we worry about things that “might happen” but are highly unlikely to happen.
We hear that phrase all the time, it “might happen.” These are two words we spend way too much time thinking about. The problem with “might happen” is that it also MIGHT NOT (ever) happen. God does not want us to live in a state of fear where we consume ourselves with outcomes and scenarios that might never actually play out the way we fear they “might.”
Have you ever done this before? Have you ever spent time worrying about something that “might happen?” The problem with giving thought to these situations is that they are likely to never happen. Just like it is (highly) unlikely you would ever be found in a plane crash or shark attack, the outcome you so often fear is not likely to happen.
God does not want you to spend time worrying about what “might happen.” If it worries you, quit thinking about the possibilities and pray about it. Give it to God, and then let it go. Only give your time to the actual moment you are in; nothing else is guaranteed.