Nothing? Really? Ever? What about when my kids are sick, or the bank account is empty, or the exam is too difficult, or the toilet over flows, or my mom is disappointed in me, or my kid is struggling in school, or my marriage is on the rocks, or my life is out of control and I can't do anything about it? Is it even possible to be anxious for nothing? I am not sure I have gone a day being anxious for nothing in my entire life. In fact, I am not sure I have gone an entire hour without being anxious over something. Truth is, if I am being honest, I struggle with the concept of trust, which is why anxiety visits me on a daily basis. I have a hard time trusting that God will handle my life because I am afraid of the pain and loss that might come with his good and perfect plan. Sooooo, now what? What do I do to solve my anxiety issues? I know, trust more. How do I trust more in my own strength, when my own strength is insufficient?
Read Phillipians 4: 6-9 Below is the New Living Translation:
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
Formula for peace:
1. Stop worrying.
2. Pray about everything.
3. Include what you need in your prayer and thank God for all he has done.
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= God's peace which will guard your heart and mind
I tend to run a little high on the anxiety scale, so some days I have to follow this formula throughout the day. I have to repeatedly go to God about the issue and thank him for what he has done so far, ask him to continue working, and then I experience peace from Him. Sometimes that peace lasts for hours, sometimes it lasts for minutes and I have to repeat the process. Either way I grow. I grow through resting in his perfect peace as he leads me through life's difficult moments. I grow when I have to "wrestle" with Him and pray continually, hourly, moment by moment searching for that peace I know he will give when the time is right.
It is kind of like the city of Jericho and the walls falling down. Sometimes we need only go to God and he heals instantly, other times we may have to march around the city seven times before He causes that wall to fall down in our lives. The marching isn't for him, it is for us. The waiting isn't for him, it is for us. God can create the universe with a word. He is not baffled by how or when to solve our problems. He is growing us through the marching, the waiting. The question is are we willing to march? Are we willing to hold on until he delivers us, or are we going to settle for a man made solution we develop through our own strength and will? God has the whole picture, he sees the beginning and the end. I read in the book The Awakening that we see from point A to B, problem to solution, while our heavenly father sees from point A to Z, the whole story of our lives and how each of our lives impact others. Perspective changes everything.
The reality is he will deliver us and He is faithful. His character doesn't allow for anything else. The question is are we willing to "be anxious for nothing" and choose to "wrestle in prayer" with our God or will we choose the alternative; a life ruled by anxiety and fear as we try to fix our issues in our own strength?
This week's challenge:
Pray using Philippians 4:6-8. Experience God's peace. Let Him guard my heart and mind.