“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.” Philippians 4:6-7
Prayer is the medicine
that calms our fears. Faith and trust allows us to pray believing. So why do we fret so even after we pray? Sight is a wonderful gift, but it can be our
worst enemy as well. Far too many times
we allow the circumstances that we see
with our own eyes to dampen any faith and trust in God we may have. The Lord is more than aware of any situation
we might find ourselves in. He has
either caused or allowed it to take place.
Perhaps it’s a lesson we need to learn regarding trust. When we lay any and all prayer requests at
the feet of God, He has designed it so that a tranquil spirit will reside
within us.
What
about people who have anxiety disorders?
Theirs is a whole different deal.
I suffer from that very thing and can tell you first hand that your mind
makes a situation seem far worse than it is.
Your pupils dilate, your heart races and all you want to do is get
yourself out of that situation. For me
many times it is tied to not having control of a situation. It’s very difficult for people with this
issue to focus on the Lord at a time like that.
Praying or reading scripture definitely helps, as you would assume it
would. God has compassion on those who
have difficulty coping with life’s major stresses, even the ones our own mind
manufactures. This verse applies to all
walks of life, even those who have claustrophobic issues and difficulty dealing
with stress.
For
those who struggle with their faith and have difficulty trusting that things
will be all right, God offers a heavenly peace that the world knows nothing
of. It’s your heart and mind He will
guard with the very spirit that now resides within you. You can trust the Lord to always have your
very best interests at heart. If things
don’t happen to go the way you’d like, trust that God knows what He’s doing and
the answer isn’t necessarily no, but
simply not yet. Until Christ returns, walk with the King and
be a blessing!
Resource: The
Reformation Study Bible.
