“No God, no peace. Know God, know peace.” (Croft M. Pentz)
I believe there are basically two kinds of thinkers: internal and external. External thinkers verbalize their thought processes, not necessarily seeking input, but just because they think out loud. Internal thinkers have silent thought processes that they do not share out loud with others until they have had the opportunity to mull things over in their own heads. I confess that I am an internal thinker. There are rarely moments when my mind is still, and I find that the process is never ending: each thought leads into another, and then another and another. This internal thought process is the perfect breeding ground for anxious thoughts.
Anxious thoughts thrive in an environment where there is no one and nothing to interrupt the free flow of thoughts or offer a different perspective. They build on each other, multiplying like mice, and before the thinker knows it, he or she is in a thinking place they never intended to go. Sometimes, we are reluctant to let go of our anxious thoughts: they may feel familiar and comfortable, almost like a security blanket. Yet paradoxically they are distressing and painful. Perhaps, if we worry it feels like we are at least doing something in a situation which otherwise feels out of our control. Maybe it’s a habit that is hard to break. Maybe we have listened to the cultural influences that tell us we show care by worrying. Maybe it’s how our brains are wired. Whatever the reasons we worry, the act of worrying, the anxious thoughts, are not beneficial to us.
In Psalm 139:23, the psalmist (David) invites God into the deepest parts of his heart and thoughts. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;” The words “try me” could be translated as “scrutinize”. He is not afraid to have God to examine him, and really know him. He wants God to know about his anxious thoughts. David is almost painfully honest with God. When we trust someone completely, we are not afraid to bare our souls to them. We trust that they will still love us, regardless of what they hear or see. So it is with God: when we trust Him completely, we can be completely honest with Him. God’s love for us is so deep, that we cannot do anything to stop Him from loving us. He will always love us. If you are a parent, there have most likely been many times when your children have done something that has made you feel like you want to take drastic action (use your imagination what that might look like!) But I’ll bet that even in the midst of those angry thoughts, you have not stopped loving your children. If we, as imperfect humans, feel that way about our children imagine how much more our heavenly Father loves! Don’t be afraid to show God those thoughts; He can handle it, and He can help.
Psalm 94:19 tells us: “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.” What are God’s “consolations”? To really get a good handle on that, I think we would have to go through the entire Bible: there are a lot. So here is a sampling:
Isaiah 41:10 “‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’” In Part 1, I went over the last few verses of Matthew 6, where Jesus was telling His disciples that instead of worrying about worldly things, they should be pursuing the things of God. His disciples most likely already had the knowledge of these verses from Isaiah: they were raised in the Jewish faith and knew the Scriptures. Yet they, like all of us, forgot, and needed a reminder that God was there with them. The word used for God in this verse is the Hebrew word “Elohim”, referring to God in relation to His creation. God has His righteous right hand (the right hand was the hand of blessing) extended towards us, full of His promises, by which He will hold us up and support us. That is a comforting thought, that the God of all creation has His hand of blessing extended to us.
1 Peter 5:6-7 “6Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” There are many things that stress us out and cause anxiety, and one of them is how we can “get ahead”, whether it’s at work, economically, in stature at church, with our friends, and on and on. Rather than stress about those things, God encourages us to be humble under Him, not to try and lift ourselves up, but rather allow Him to do that at the right time (not our time) and to give Him our worries about our position. How comforting and relieving to know that when we submit to Him, He will make sure that at the right time we are lifted up.
Romans 8:35, 37-39 “35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? …37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nothing, repeat…nothing, can separate us from the love of God which was shown to us through Christ. Whatever circumstances might be swirling around us, they DO NOT have the power to separate us from His love, and therefore from His promises, because the two kind of go hand in hand. Notice that little phrase “overwhelmingly conquer”. Anxiety certainly does not make us feel like we can conquer anything. Quite the opposite: anxiety makes us feel inadequate, unsure and out of control. Yet God tells us that we cannot be separated from His love, and therefore we conquer every situation. The Bible does not tell us ”all these things except for [inset your most crazy making situation here]”. It simply says “in all these things”: every situation, every challenge, every impassable bridge, every mindbender. That’s a thought I prefer to anchor on!
Proverbs 3:25-26 “25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear
Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes;
26 For the Lord will be your confidence
And will keep your foot from being caught.”
I love these verses, especially that part about “sudden fear”. How often do we get startled and jump, or scared of sudden changes, noises, etc? God in His love for us, even wrote about that in the Bible! He knew we would, and tells us not to, because we can have complete confidence in Him. Likewise, when hurtful, mean, wicked people want to rant against us, we don’t need to be anxious or afraid because He will not allow us to get trapped by them or fear. We just need to keep our eyes, hearts and minds on Him and He will do the work. When we allow our thoughts to dwell on that truth, rather than the “sudden fear”, we are consoled by our Lord.
Peace is the opposite of anxiety: they cannot co-exist at the same time, in the same place. Each of these verses points to God, knowing Him and His promises, believing them, and remembering them as the antidote to anxiety. This is not easy: it is about making a conscious choice with each anxious thought to put it to rest, choosing instead to take up the enlivening and empowering thoughts that focus on the love and strength of God. It takes courage and discipline to let go of those thoughts, and replace them with others. It takes a willingness to try something different and patience with yourself.
No God, no peace. Know God, know peace.
The next time you find yourself getting lost in anxious thoughts, stop for a moment and ask yourself “Where is my God in my situation? Am I making room for Him in my thoughts? In my expectations? Am I remembering that He loves me?” It takes a mindful approach to recognize and stop anxious thoughts and refocus on the Light of the world rather than the circumstances.
Remember His instruction to us in Philippians 4:6-7 “6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” That’s how we battle anxiety.
If you need help, please do not sit alone with anxiety. Reach out to a friend, a pastor, a doctor or a therapist. There is help. I pray that you will remember that you are never alone, and that you can rest and remain in the presence of the Light of the world, draw from His strength and promises to fight and win this battle. Because you are more than a conqueror in this and every situation!
Living in the Light of the world 