Anxiety

Tom Barnard

 

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

(Philippians 4:6, 7 The Message)

 

Thomas A. Kempis wrote, “Oh, how great peace and quietness would he possess who should cut off all vain anxiety and place all his confidence in God.” There are actually two pieces of advice in this short quote. One is to “cut off all vain anxiety.” Great! But how do you do that? How do you control your anxiety when facts and fears arrive in the same moment at the same place—and they both are bad? Sounds like a collision to me. The Apostle Paul has an answer: “Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers.” In other words, attack your fears with praise. Thank God in advance of the anticipated arrival of the news—whether good or bad.

 

The second advice from Kempis is to “place all (your) confidence in God.” People will mislead. They will disappoint. They will vote with the majority. They will see the cup half empty rather than half full. Even if there is a sliver of hope, they won’t mention it. They may even say things like, “This must be God’s will for you.” Or, even less spiritual, “This will work out for you in time,” as if time alone ever corrected any real problem.

 

The message is clear: God knows your concerns—even before you do. I like what John Kenneth Mackenzie said about situations like these: “We must praise God for his dealings with us, even though we cannot make them out at times.” God never slumbers; he never sleeps. He listens, and he hears even the weakest cry. “Before you know it,” the apostle said, “a sense of God’s wholeness…will come and settle you down.”

 

Father God, I have experienced some anxious moments this week. Things looked bleak at times. I tried to do the human thing and even denied their existence. That was a poor strategy. Instead, you showed me how important it is for me to place my confidence in you rather than in other people. You want me to pray and praise you for what you will do. Accept my thanks now, Father. I believe you are working things out in my behalf in the right time. Amen.