Casting Anxiety

photo from You Version

Cast all your anxiety on him for he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 NIV

         If you are like me, anxiety is no stranger to your life. You go in and out of this feeling of being overwhelmed, losing control, with nowhere to go. Through my life, anxiety has been present from getting my first job, to moving around the world,  changing jobs, getting married, having children, posting on my blog, any changes, to simply laying awake not being able to sleep. Growing up knowing about God's gift to us of peace, I have always struggled with my flesh, mind, and heart to know God and trust him in all things and allow that peace to flood my very being. Through this struggle, I have found hope and peace in many of God's promises to us.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Psalms 139:23 NIV 

       Through my years of studying the bible, I have found that I resonate with so many of Davids words. I am not a woman of eloquent words, same as Paul, but have been able to put to words many of my heart cries for help using Davids writings. This one is a prayer of mine. In my anxiety, I find myself trying to do everything alone since my struggle is not against flesh and blood,  Satan uses it to put walls up in front of  God. Satan lies to me saying I can actually do something on my own to make this go away. I can only live in peace when I surrender to God giving him all my life and anxiety knowing his truth that he will never leave me nor forsake me. I want God to come in, know my heart and mind, and guide me through this trial of anxiety. The more I try myself, the more anxiety takes over and God waits for me to come back and cry out for His help which is ready and waiting.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 NIV

       This verse calls me to battle. It used to make me feel so aware of my anxiety and my doubt in God but with God's revelation, of who he is, this verse has become a reminder of my battle cry through prayer, petition, and thanksgiving.  Praying is vital in my acceptance of God's gift of peace in all circumstances. God knows every struggle and anxious thought we have but he yearns for a talking relationship with us to keep us in His will now ours. Anxiety is not of the lord, so if we can talk to Him about it he will fight for us. God is waiting to reveal a deeper understanding of Himself and tools to fight the spiritual war raging against us so tapping into the source gives us the most powerful tool- God himself who fights for us. 

       A petition, defined by Merriam Websters, is to make or present a formal request to (an authority) with respect to a particular cause, or make a solemn or humble appeal to (a figure of authority). Hebrews 4: 16 says Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. We are to make our request to God with confidence knowing God will meet us right where we are. David cried out to God so many times with tears, and I would invision a loud voice to petition God, giving God his full confidence and raw emotion, knowing God would answer and give him all he needed. Can we not petition God with our Anxiety, everytime it rears it ugly head, with confidence that God has promised he will meet our needs according to his riches in glory? 

        Thanksgiving, I believe is a heart attitude, of respect and gratitude for all God, is doing and WILL do. We don't always see or hear about God working even though he is. In faith, we thankfully approach his throne knowing that he will act and we are so thankful for all he has done.

A heart at peace gives life to the body. Proverbs 14:30 NIV

            I love how God uses such simple understandable language with us. He uses judicial terms, parable stories, references to family ties, and so many great simple concepts to help us begin to see who God is and how he loves us. In this verse, as I have meditated on it, My mind sees a human body one full of life and health- as one with Peace, then another human body looking ill, pale, becoming lifeless as one without Peace. And knowing my body is God's temple, I want others to see me as full of life, love, joy to reflect his Love and my heart is the beginning of that process. The heart, in terms of an elementary teacher who never took anatomy, is the pump that shoots out life, or blood, to give life to the body. Without your heart, you do not live. Without God's peace in your heart, spiritually and physically, your body suffers. In my experience, this is not just spiritual it's physical. Without peace, full of anxiety, my health suffers. I get headaches, body aches, horrible sleep, a mind rushing. With a heart and mind set on Christ, my physical body works better due to the peace that passes all understanding. Simple yet true.

Make an effort to keep unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:3 NIV

         Lastly, I have been learning in my BSF group about keeping unity through the bond of peace with one another. We are a working body of Christ, different talents and skills working together to show God's love and truth to this world. If I am full of anxiety, my body part- talent and skills, suffer which can hinder God's light being shown. Coming together as a body of Christ, standing with each other, carrying each others burdens, like anxiety, is part of God's plan. Keeping a bond of peace together, and helping others to keep the peace of God flowing in their lives through the struggles is an important part of God's call for his body.

            Will you pray that God's peace will reside in your whole self, and if you are struggling would you cry out to God with me knowing He is there with you? Will you also look to other children of God and pray for peace within them and pray that God would show you where you can step in with them in prayer, and encouragement to be the hands and feet of God? This is how we can battle together as we journey on with God to reach the world.