Tag: prayer

Anxiety solution

     “Don’t be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God.”
     This Bible verse, Philippians 4:6, was the most searched verse in 2019, according to statistics released recently by the 400-million-user YouVersion Bible App.
     Ours is not the only, or first, blog published this year highlighting this statistic. But more than reprinting an interesting fact, we are more concerned about discussing what may be behind the large search for a Bible verse about “anxiety.” It seems that there may be a significant rise in anxiety and fear afflicting people both inside and outside the church:
Not only Christians search the Bible for answers to life’s problems.
     Living in fear and anxiety is difficult for followers of Jesus Christ as well as those who are not in His Kingdom, but faith in an all-powerful, all-loving God should ease the believers’ suffering. If this is not the case then, perhaps, the church’s message about God’s goodness and protection isn’t getting through. Or is the church promoting a confusing, double-minded message concerning the goodness of God?
      Sound advice in these anxious and fearful times is found in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5: “We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Other Scriptures describe how to attain peace. Philippians 4:8-9 says: “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.” And then 1 John 4:18 reminds us that that our certainty concerning God’s perfect love and unconditional forgiveness, will effectively free us of fear: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear . . .”
     Sounds incredibly wonderful, doesn’t it? And it’s all true, too!
      But what if, buried deep inside our subconscious, we hold a false knowledge of God? This will definitely be an obstacle to finding peace through the many Bible verses about God’s goodness, perfect love, unconditional forgiveness, and protection.
     If we (or someone teaching us) form God into our own human image then anxiety and fear will abound. We, and other humans, have limits. God does not. We withhold good things from ourselves and others. God does not. We are punitive in our dealings with each other. God is not. We are fickle and unfaithful. God is not.
     And most importantly, we hate, we are angry, we resent, we condemn; God has never been, is not now, nor ever will be hateful, angry, resentful, condemning.
     Once the revelation of God’s magnificent goodness and love is firmly planted in us by the Holy Spirit, all fear and anxiety will be dispelled from our lives. As is written in Colossians 1:27, it is “Christ in you” that is the “hope of glory.”
     Jesus addresses anxiety and fear directly in John 16.33: “I have said this to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!”
     Author Max Lucado states in his book Anxious for Nothing (which is centered on Philippians 4:6), “Fear sees a threat. Anxiety imagines one.” In other words, we are to cast down vain imaginations and fill our minds with the truth about God; that He is always for us. This will inspire profound gratitude and joy, which will cast out anxiety and fear.

Lay your burdens down

Although I am often named by some as a prayer intercessor, I don’t necessarily identify myself as one.

    As believers in Jesus Christ we are all called to pray to God on behalf of others. Jesus was a man of prayer. He not only instructed and urged His followers to pray (Matthew 6:6), but he also provided assurance that prayers “in His name” would be answered (John 14;13-14).

     So, if a prayer intercessor is someone who takes seriously Jesus’ call to pray, cares about others, and believes that prayer in the name of Jesus will be answered, then I am more apt to see myself in the moniker.

     This basic, but important, description of a prayer intercessor shouldn’t mask the fact that there is a vast array of approaches to prayer. This is as different as each person who has ever knelt, folded their hands, or bowed their head in prayer.

     For me, this means tapping into the heart of God by first getting honest with Him about the condition of my own heart.

     I recently drove to one of my favorite “seeking God in prayer” spots not too far from my home. I was feeling burdened from an unknown source. My experience with this feeling told me that it could be about something inside me or it could be about someone else’s needs.

     As it turned out, I was the one who needed a burden lifted. In this special place, alone with the One I trust and love most, the words and emotion spilled out regarding several troubling situations and individuals I had encountered in recent weeks and months.

    I was delighted to discover that I had only to open my mouth to find relief. I honestly acknowledged that things were not as good they should be and confidently declared, from a God-centered perspective, what exactly I thought would make things better. It felt gloriously freeing to give the burden to God. I let it go. The peace was heavenly.

    Then a thought came to mind about a past, extremely troubling time when I had cried out in anguish and desperation to God in prayer. In the midst of my prayer, I recalled feeling a gentle nudge to stop praying in this way. I got a sense that the emotional intensity of my prayer was “too deep, too dark, too extreme” for my physical body to handle. This prayer had the potential of actually causing me physical harm.

     So, I stopped praying in that heightened emotional way. I still kept the reality of my situation in mind but changed my perspective to include the truth from Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

     A tangible shift happened when I gave God the burden I was carrying. I felt a release from significant stress. My body relaxed. My breathing lightened. This was God meeting my immediate need (both spiritual and physical) to be at peace.

     Science tells us that our bodies are negatively affected when we are stressed. This physical fact and Jesus’ consistent “Shalom” message during His public ministry years should leave us with the understanding that seeking peace, even in the midst of intense prayer and intercession is God’s most excellent way.

     When Jesus said, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” He was teaching us an important lesson. When it comes to the weight of all that ails mankind, only He can bear it.

     Our part is to come alongside Him from time-to-time to see what He sees, love what He loves, and feel what He feels, but all the while allowing Him to do the heavy lifting.

     So, come to Jesus all you who are weary and you will find rest!