Sometimes the hardest things in life are the things that sound so simple. We know that God is in control and that he works things out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). How do we know? Because we have seen it happen in other’s lives, and we have seen it in our OWN lives. Yet, here we are almost always doubting, almost always having to try and talk ourselves into believing it. It’s as if there is something inside of us telling us that God has given up, we have already used up our “tokens” of when God is going to come through. We know that’s not true, but we live as if it is. We talk about how cats have “9 lives”. Sometimes we limit God in the same way. There are so many people around the world that are in need. If we go to God and ask him AGAIN to help us through ANOTHER struggle, there is this fear that he will say, “Hey, I have been there for you X amount of times already, it’s someone else’s turn”, or “You are really in a bind this time, there is no way, I can help you with this.” But, the reality is, that GOD is GOD and He is the ONLY one that can get us out of EVERY single bind, He is the ONLY one that can help EVERYONE all at the same time no matter what. In fact, He LOVES it. Let me say that again. HE LOVES IT!! He loves it when we come to Him with our burdens and cares(Psalm 55:22, I Peter 5:7), He loves it when we are always seeking Him (Matthew 6:33, Deuteronomy 4:29, Psalm 63:1). The problem isn’t God, but instead it’s us.
We KNOW that God is in control and taking care of things, but even the slightest little thing can rock our faith and make us doubt. Not completely doubt, but it gets us worked up to where we worry and are anxious. I think there’s a reason the Bible says “have courage” (Deuteronomy 31:6-8) “don’t be anxious” (Philippians 4:6, Matthew 6:25-34) and talks about “peace” (John 14:27, John 16:33) so much, because God knows that we are constantly losing our courage, becoming anxious, worry over everything, and not at peace, and all he wants for us it to have peace. It’s not an easy solution unfortunately, but it’s about being MINDFUL. God teaches us what to do..we just have to do it. Mindfulness = prayer. If we are constantly praying, like God asks, and doing so with a thankful heart things would be a lot different. (Philippians 4:6)
So the question is why aren’t we? Maybe because we find comfort in a strange way through our anxiety? Maybe we have been “taught” through what we’ve seen, were raised, or through other circumstances that being anxious and worried is our “go to”. Maybe it’s easier to just complain and “vent” than it is to talk to God, or maybe we are afraid to tell God how we really feel, or that God won’t listen, or we feel rejected by His answer not being what we want to hear. So we just complain about it, worry about it, and drive ourselves crazy, until we have nothing left but prayer..then we feel good. Imagine that, after we pray we feel better and at peace.
This isn’t an easy topic, but if we can train or retrain ourselves to pray first, pray always, and feel confident to tell God EVERYTHING because he already knows anyway, and make it a habit, then we may find ourselves more at peace more often.
Disclaimer: If you are experiencing severe anxiety or panic attacks, this may be a mental health issue that can not and will not go away just through prayer. In addition to praying, please seek help from a Christian professional. There is nothing wrong with talking to a professional or taking medication. God has given doctors and therapists the gift to help those in need. Seeking outside help does NOT make you less of a Christian or mean that you do not have faith. It means that you are doing the right thing to take care of yourself!
1.) If you have any debilitating anxiety/panic attacks please seek professional help from a Christian therapist, or Psychiatrist, right away.
2.) In the blog above there is a list of a few reasons why people are anxious. Which one describes you? Is there another one not listed that fits you better?
3.) Find at least one time a day to spend in prayer, asking God to take away your anxieties. List them one by one giving them up.
4.) Start your day in prayer asking God to give you the strength to deal with any stressors, without feeling anxiety.
5.) Please feel free to reach out to Here2There Ministries at [email protected]
TAKE AWAY: Pray FIRST, Pray ALWAYS, Pray EVERYTHING!
Christy Paul, LMHC