Earlier today I was given a precious insight. My anxiety -- however deep the difficulty I'm going through -- reveals that I am putting my hope in something other than God to give me joy and peace.
When God says, "Do not worry," He's not being naïve. He knows life is chock full of problems that will cause us anxiety; sometimes the problems become insurmountable, and it feels as though we've been asked to carry the world on our shoulders. We can crack under such strain; many people simply give up on life at this point. God knows this. He's not being flippant or callous when He says not to worry. He's also not saying, "Just get on with it and tell yourself everything is fine." He's saying, "Ask ME to carry your burden."
How?
I can't tell you how many times I've asked Him to carry my burden. Nothing much changed. I know He is working in the background, answering my prayers, but the burden has continued to seem like mine to carry.
The revelation that my anxiety was a message caused me to stop and think. My anxiety is declaring, "I can't have true peace and joy until these things are put right." If so, then what Jesus said is false. He said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful " (John 14:27). He clearly said this knowing that great trials and difficulties were in store for His followers.
So what did He intend when He said not to worry? He intended to have us learn to leave our burdens at His feet. In a sense, this is inseparable from "...seek first His kingdom and His righteousness..." (Matthew 6:33), because the idea is to place God first. Nothing else, no one else, is to be looked to as saviour.