Anxiety-Free Living

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. George Muller

Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all others thoughts are drained. Arthur Somers Roche

The other day, I got stuck on the merry-go-round of worry. As anxiety grows, my thoughts seem to form an unending cycle of unanswerable questions. One concern pushes another until reality and logic have little impact. So I accelerate round and round until I lose my perspective and move dangerously close to the edge of depression.

To make matters worse, there is a bully who will not let me escape my anxious thoughts. He just pushes harder and harder making it seem impossible to jump free of the ride of emotions. You might have seen him lurking about the shadows of your life. He is looking for moments of uncertainty and vulnerability.

This bully wants to intimidate you and shake up your faith. He hopes to disorient you and take away your peace and rest and leave you with panic and stress. The bully is called “what if”.

I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day. Abraham Lincoln

When it seems you cannot stop worrying, you will hear his taunts:

“What if” things get worse?
“What if” this happens?
“What if” they misunderstand me?
“What if” I cannot work and provide for my family?
“What if” the infection grows?
“What if” I cannot return to my ministry?
“What if” a liver cannot be found?

As my imagination multiplies the “what ifs,” anxiety grips my heart. Incredibly, the “what ifs” battleground is seldom wider than my mind.

The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. C.S. Lewis

I am discovering again the power of prayer that can break through the bonds of worry and free me to live the larger, stronger, and quieter life that only flows from intimacy with God.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Familiar passage. Unfamiliar practice. Seldom-experienced blessings.

Be anxious for nothing
Nothing, who are you kidding, God? Have you seen my worry list lately? Sure, I can see why I should not worry about some silly things (these are usually defined as things on someone else’s list.) But God must understand the impact of the big serious stuff of my life.

Perhaps this command is time-related. God must mean when I am at church or trying to witness to an unbeliever. This cannot apply when I am thousands of miles from home and receive bad news from the doctor. He cannot mean in the middle of the night when the “what ifs” attack.

Unfortunately, in my search for spiritual loopholes, I find God is clear. Don’t be anxious about anything, anytime, or anywhere. Oh, great … now I’m worrying about worrying.

God provides the option that works:

Pray about everything. Everything! Including anything that makes me anxious. Big or little. Real or imaginary. Current or future. How do I do this?

Make my requests known to God. This is not about informing God. The prayer focus is on me knowing that God knows. So much of my anxiety comes from me trying to figure out what I should do. Stress will always follow when I try to do what God can do.

I must learn to exchange my worry for worship. One of the ways I have found to make this a reality in my life is by transforming my list of worries into my prayer list. This I must do quickly, consistently, and often. I must not lean on my own limited understanding or try to come up with my own solutions. If I want God’s peace, I must have the Prince of Peace ruling in my mind and heart.

A powerful weapon against worry is found in the phrase “with thanksgiving”. Thanksgiving remembers God’s character and work in my past. It also gives me joy and strength for today and a blessed hope for tomorrow. Every worry and anxiety should be wrapped in a God-focused thanksgiving. This is when I have Holy anticipation of seeing what only God can do.

These are not difficult truths to understand, but require the fullness of God to live. This is not a natural process for me, therefore God in His loving kindness and wisdom has given me many opportunities to learn and apply this type of prayer. The results are supernatural. My anxiety melts into the peace of God at the very moment that seems impossible.

So tonight I will cast all my cares upon Him. I will not fear the “what ifs” because my heart and mind are being guarded in Christ Jesus.

Living in God’s Peace,
Dan

I will bless the LORD who has counseled me; indeed, my mind instructs me in the night. I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:7-8