As our awareness of reality around us expands, our increased awareness can bring increased anxiety. If we trust in ourselves, or in our circumstances, the world around us is brutally unreliable and dangerous. If we want peace, perfect peace, then the beginning of our understanding must be trusting in God.

At this moment, you are likely comfortably “sitting still”, without worry of being overtaken by sudden and violent motion. However, a broadened awareness reveals that “sitting still” anywhere on the earth means simultaneously a) whirling at 1,000 miles per hour around the earth’s axis and b) hurtling around the sun at 67,000 miles per hour. What we are actually doing while “sitting still” is trusting that powers like gravity and centrifugal force will continue to balance, and maintain our “stillness.” If we’re oblivious, we have peace.  If we begin to contemplate the “reliability” of these finely balanced forces in a universe that continually surprises us, then we have reason for angst.

The movie classic “What About Bob” aptly and humorously demonstrates the dysfunction that plagues Bob due to his hypersensitivity to all that can go awry. The most common solution to Bob’s problem is oblivion. A lack of awareness. Most of our trust is oblivious.

But far better is the exercise of an active trust in the Lord.

There is no reason to worry about suddenly flying off the earth because its orbit suddenly alters. Just because we are unaware of a threat doesn’t mean the threat is not real. If not for God’s promise, fear would be highly rational. Being like “Bob” would be quite sane.

As our scope of awareness expands, we can trust more actively and more truly. Every cause for fear can be answered by staying our mind on the Lord. When we do, he promises us perfect peace.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” – Isaiah 26:3