Giving God An Anxious Heart

Do you feel the low-grade hum of anxiety? I know I do, especially when busyness overtakes me. When this happens, it seems all I can see is the never-ending list of things to do.

Martha often gets a bad rap. Sometimes we see her as the inferior sister, but Jesus didn’t see her that way.

Martha was distracted by “many” things. In Luke 10:41-42 (pictured), we discover her gnawing anxieties are what distracted her in an important moment before the Lord.

In our culture, Jesus' response can easily come across as hash, as if He was exasperated with Martha.

But when we look through the Bible, we discover that when God said someone’s name twice, it was because He was saying something important. And it was always to someone with whom He had, or was building, a close relationship.

God called Moses’ name twice from the burning bush, before making covenant with him.

Jesus said Peter’s name twice when He explained that Peter would be tempted but would prevail.

Jesus also spoke Martha’s name twice when He encouraged her not to be distracted.

And the next time we hear Jesus say someone’s name twice was on the cross. It was His most intimate relationship, in the moment He changed history: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46b ESV)

When Jesus spoke to Martha, He was essentially saying, “This is important. I know the anxieties of your heart. Bring them to Me. Don’t let this steal from you any longer.”

It’s not the fact that Martha was serving Jesus was addressing. It was the anxiety-based root of her service.

Peter would have witnessed the interaction between Jesus and Martha. Perhaps it was here that he learned what we read from him in 1 Peter 5:7: “Casting all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you,” (ESV).

Beloved sister in Christ, Jesus cares for you. He knows your anxieties.

Why not take a moment and ask Him, "Lord, what does it look like, for me to cast my anxieties on You? Where do I begin?"

Let Him guide you. He will show you the way.

And if you’re comfortable, I’d love to know your next steps, how He’s guiding you out of anxiety and into the kind of freedom we saw Martha’s sister Mary enjoy. Be blessed!

Meet the Author
Joni Boyd

Joni lives in Sydney, Australia with her three grown kids and husband of two years, Nathan.

After being divorced several years ago, Joni is grateful for the healing God has since done in her family and in herself. While she never expected to be divorced or remarried, this season is a precious gift from God and she is grateful for all of it.

Joni is passionate about encouraging women to go deeper with Jesus - so they would know that while life may not be as smooth as we’d like, Jesus is not afraid of the mess, nor does He lack the power to heal and transform.