Love the Unexpected

Anxiety is something that I’ve struggled with on and off throughout my life and since becoming a mother, it’s definitely been an “on” season. In a world that seems to be falling apart at the seams with another horrifying news story coming out every day, it’s very difficult not to think “what if that had been my child?”.

The temptation to lock myself away in my home and create a cozy bubble of safety around my children is strong. Every day, I fight it. Logically, I know that kids need friends, they need time to play outside, they need opportunity to explore the world around them and be carefree. Yet the land of “what if?” is always only a thought away. It’s a constant battle to find the line between safety and freedom.

So far, not so encouraging, right?

Although this worry and fear over my children is very real and very present – it’s also very sinful. It exposes my lack of trust in the One who holds my life and the lives of my children in His hands.

So then, what do we do?

Well, the good news is that the Bible does not shy away from the topic of anxiety. In fact, the book of Philippians gives us very specific instructions for how to handle it.

Philippians 4:6-7 says:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In everything, by prayer and petition

Every time we feel anxiety creeping up into our hearts and minds, we have a choice in how we deal with it. One of our options is to give in and let it take over. Have you ever done this? I have. Here’s how it plays out: an immediate downward spiral. You think of one horrible possibility that grows into another. Before you know it, panic sets in, creeping from your stomach to your throat, holding a vice grip on your heart. You feel paralyzed, unable to make decisions or even go about your day and complete routine, thoughtless tasks. Anxious thoughts consume your mind and become the only thing you can focus on.

But when we’re confronted with the temptation to give in to our anxiety, the Bible tells us that the first thing we should do is pray. With practice and intention, this should become our default reaction when we start to feel anxious. When we cry out to God about the things that are making us anxious, it immediately shifts our focus.

I was at the park recently with my kids, and my daughter had climbed up to a pretty high part of the play structure. There was a break in the guardrails and as she looked around for her next step, I could see the panic setting in. The first thing she did was look at me. What did I do? I walked over to her and reassured her. In that moment, my presence drew her attention away from her fear. It reminded her that I wasn’t going to let her fall, and helped to “unfreeze” her from her initial panic. In the same way, God tells us that when we start to feel anxious, we should pause and look and talk to Him. In his presence, we focus less on the cause of our anxiety and more on the source of our comfort, strength and provision.

He also tells us to petition, or to earnestly request what we need. What is it that you need today? Direction? Deliverance? Courage? Peace? God invites us to bring all of those requests to him.

With thanksgiving

When we pray and petition, we’re told to do so with thanksgiving. Gratitude is the antidote to anxiety. Anxiety is defined as:

apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness usually over an impending or anticipated ill 

When we’re anxious, we’re worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet. By starting our prayer with thanksgiving, it helps us to reflect on our lives and see the ways that God has been faithful before – because he has been faithful.

That doesn’t mean we haven’t lived through hard times, but inevitably, when we look back at those challenging circumstances, we can see ways that God was at work in our lives and in our hearts. Maybe he brought someone into your life at just the right time to offer encouragement or provision that you desperately needed. Maybe he gave you peace in your heart in the midst of devastating news. Maybe he orchestrated a path through the wilderness when you knew where he was leading but it looked impossible to get there. Maybe you woke up this morning in a comfortable bed, in a heated house, to food and hot coffee. Maybe you didn’t, but today you woke up and you’re still alive and breathing.

When we look at the ways God has been faithful in the past, it reminds us that we can trust him with the concerns we have in our future. If he has been faithful before, he will be faithful again.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding

What a promise! In this passage, God doesn’t promise that he will change the circumstances that are causing our anxiety. He might, but that’s not the promise that he makes. He makes a greater one: to give you His peace, a peace that transcends all understanding. This is an incredible gift in a believers life.

In Romans 8:28, God promises that He works all things for good for those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Sometimes in the middle of that work, things won’t look so good. But in the midst of trying circumstances we can have confidence that He is in control and He is at work, in a million ways that we can’t see.

Philippians not only promises that He will give us this peace, but that it will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Our hearts and our minds are so susceptible to the lies of the enemy. But God’s peace acts as a shield against the things that could otherwise cause us to spiral into anxious thoughts and feelings. God offers us shelter from anxiety by granting us His peace.

Are you struggling with anxiety today? Are there circumstances in your life that are causing you to question God’s goodness or work in your life? If so, God invites you to pause in your anxious thoughts and turn to him instead, bringing your requests, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, to Him. The peace of God really does transcend all understanding, but He promises to give it when we are faithful to his command. Let me leave you with one last encouragement from Ephesians 3:20-21:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.