We live in a world constantly telling us to look inward for healing and freedom.So we do.We reflect.We process.We journal.We read all the self-help books.

“If I am spending time with God every day, I will not miss what He has for me.”That sentence stopped me in my tracks. It felt like the Holy Spirit was whispering peace into a restless part of my heart.There’s a quiet, nagging fear that creeps in sometimes. A fear of missing out. A fear that I’m behind. That I’ve missed my moment. That I’ve somehow overlooked something important God wanted me to do.But that fear? It’s not from God. Fear is 100% from the enemy, and we have to actively resist him (see James 4:7).Scripture tells us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

We all long for the good life. The world offers countless, and often conflicting, suggestions about how to attain it. We’re told there’s security in wealth, fulfillment in success, satisfaction in pleasure, or that life’s true meaning is found within ourselves. Unfortunately, all of this searching for happiness and contentment through worldly, self-serving pursuits does nothing but leave us frustrated, exhausted, and empty. 

In the fourth chapter of Genesis, the ripple effects of humanity’s fall from grace are felt with new weight. The story of Cain and Abel is not just a tale of sibling rivalry or even the story of the first murder ever committed; it is a window into the restless heart of humanity that refuses to acknowledge God’s rightful place as ruler over all things. Like his parents before him, Cain wrestles with his identity and struggles to embrace his role as a servant of God. Instead, he sets out to secure significance on his own terms. His lackluster offering, his resentful anger and its culmination in the ultimate act of violence all stem from a heart striving for perfection and anxious to be accepted. At its core, Cain’s story is one of comparison, insecurity, and fear of not being enough. Once again, we see that anxiety takes root where pride resists submission, where man strives to be his own ruler rather than resting in the assurance of God’s authority. Cain’s story continues the theme that our peace will always unravel when we forget who we are and Whose we are.  If we look closely, we’ll find ourselves in his story — and, more importantly, we’ll see the God who meets anxious strivers with both warning and mercy.

Anxiety feels like something that just happens to us. We believe it’s a sudden storm that rolls in without warning, leaving us drenched in fear amid an inner landscape littered with the debris of our shattered peace. But, is it really so unpredictable and uncontrollable? We don’t like to admit it, but much of the anxiety we experience in our lives flows from our insistence that we know better than God. If we’re being totally honest, our anxiety is oen of our own making and is a direct result of our deeply-rooted desire to be enthroned as sovereign ruler over all things. In our vain desire for control, we attempt to seize authority over things not in our control, and fail to control the one thing that truly is ours to command — Ourselves. 

In the opening chapter of Genesis, God brings order out of chaos, and with that order comes light, life, and purpose. It is a sweeping, cosmic vision — heavens stretched out, waters separated, boundaries drawn, and all manner of living things spoken into being. But as we step into Genesis 2, our birds-eye perspective zooms in. We move from galaxies to gardens, from the thunderous voice of the Creator booming through the cosmos, to the quiet stillness of a beautiful garden called Eden. It is here, in this tranquil sanctuary, that we meet ourselves.

Anxiety is a raging storm within — an inner chaos, restlessness, and unease that refuses to be quieted. In a world that feels increasingly empty and disordered, many of us are wandering in darkness searching for peace, stability, and order amidst the chaos. What if the very first pages ofScripture held eternal truths for our anxious hearts?The opening chapters of the Book of Genesis are more than the Biblical account of creation; they are our first glimpse into the mind and heart of the eternal God who designed, formed, and ordered it all. Genesis forms and shapes the foundation of our knowledge of God’s character and His way ofworking in and through His creation. When we read, “In the beginning, God created…” (Gen 1:1) we’re introduced to a God who brings light into darkness, form to formlessness, and design to disarray. Over and over, He speaks order, beauty, and purpose into everything He has created.This series will explore the first four chapters of Genesis and ponder what they reveal about God, about mankind, and about the sources of and solutions for our anxieties. We’ll reflect on God’s ordering power, not just in the universe, but in the deepest depths of our minds and hearts.Through creation, calling, brokenness, and grace, we’ll learn to trust and lean on a God who still brings order out of chaos and who invites us to do the same, even in the face of uncertainty, turmoil, and fear.