Anxious? Don’t Be.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.” Phlippians 4: 6-7
Every time I read this scripture, I actually giggle. Paul makes it so simple. Feeling anxious? Don’t be. Just pray. Anyone who has ever battled with anxiety realizes the source of my amusement. Anxiety is anything but simple. And yet, in Philippians, Paul challenges us to unravel the complexity of our human emotions and thoughts and lay them out before the Lord.
Have you ever secretly cursed when you come across a tangled necklace chain in your jewelry box? No one wants to take the time to mess with it, and so often it gets tossed back into the jewelry box as knotted up as before. However, once we take a few moments to pick, massage, and roll it around, we usually can free it from its self-entanglement. We look at that intricate chain, laid out so elegantly before us, and marvel at its beauty. The result was worth the effort.
Paul is calling us to stop throwing our knotted thoughts and emotions back into the recesses of our mind in an attempt to pretend they don’t exists. Instead, he encourages us to massage them out and lay them out before the Lord. And then, on our knees, to present those thoughts and emotions to Him with gratitude and thanks. When they were all knotted up, all we could focus on was the mess: my husband is such a jerk, my kids are disrespectful, my body doesn’t look the way I want it to, people are sick, I feel so lonely! But once we lay them out, we can take a different perspective.
Lord, thank you for giving me a husband who is strong enough to help shoulder my burdens. Thank you my children that bring me such joy. Jesus, thank you that my legs are so strong! Lord, thank you for human frailty, which points us back to our need for You. Father, thank you for this time to focus on my relationship with You and to realize the true value of community. So, friend. Are you feeling anxious? Don’t be. Just pray.
Originally published April 7, 2020
