God’s gift . . .
Jesus & Your Anxious Heart
Everyone worries . . . Everyone has a problem with some kind of anxiety at some point—including me, and probably you . . . God created us as emotional people . . . Our emotions are given by God to put us “into motion.”
For some, anxiety might be a minor sense of uneasiness and discomfort that happens when you’re about to walk into an awkward social situation . . . have to give an important presentation . . . or realize that text you sent autocorrected with the really wrong word . . . Other times, anxiety can stop you in your tracks, even making you feel like you can’t function.
Wherever you are on that spectrum, I want you to know God cares about you.
He cares about what you care about, and he wants to help carry what you are carrying.
He will lead you and love you in a better way than you ever thought possible.
(Craig Groeschel)
First, and foremost, anxiety is not a sin—neither is fear, worry, or sadness . . . Jesus never sinned, but Jesus did experience anxiety . . . Remember when He was in the garden of Gethsemane? . . . He knew He was about to be betrayed, abandoned by His closest friends, be physically tortured, be crucified on a cross, and He would take on the sins of the entire world . . . Jesus knew all of that was coming and His response was to fall to the ground in emotional distress with His face in the dirt, crying out, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me” . . . The Bible says, “He was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood” . . . Anxiety is not a sin.
And don’t let anybody—even well-meaning Christians—say something like, “You shouldn’t feel anxious if you’ve given your life to Jesus. You should be full of peace and joy!” . . . That isn’t how life works, so don’t feel like you’re doing something wrong . . . remember, Jesus was not exactly joy-filled in the garden of Gethsemane.
Throughout the gospels, Jesus addressed the fear, worry, and anxiety being experienced by those around Him . . . He didn’t just do this to bring physical comfort to those experiencing negative effects of anxiety . . . Jesus was also challenging those He encountered to understand the spiritual significance of their anxiety . . . Fear, worry, and anxiety affect our physical health, but they also can reflect our spiritual health . . . Our brain’s responses are influenced by our hearts and our values, and the experiences that test those.
Jesus taught us to examine our fear, worry, and anxiety as clues into who we worship or what we worship in any given moment . . . In conversations with Jesus, His questions often exposed the values and thinking that were causing fear, anxiety, and worry . . . His goal was never to shame those who honestly sought Him, but rather He invited each one to trust in Him as the creator and provider of all that they truly needed . . . The same is true for us . . . Do you trust Jesus to provide all that you need?
INSIGHT . . .
Anxiety can provide a window into what our hearts and souls truly value . . . When our hearts align with God’s values, when we have God’s eternal perspective, we can understand what is most important to Him . . . and then we can live out the purpose we were created for . . . God calls us to work on overcoming anxiety by keeping our focus on what will last eternally.
How often do we become distracted when we fear the future and try to take matters into our own hands? . . . We seek to control everything, selfishly focus our attention on what we want most, we don’t trust God to provide or to keep us safe . . . so, we start thinking too far in advance and end up bringing tomorrow’s possible problems into today . . . Jesus reminded us that worry accomplishes very little and distracts us from being present in our lives right now . . . we truly need to keep our focus on God’s faithfulness . . . Do we trust God with our future so we can stay present today?
Jesus cares about you and your specific circumstances . . . He cares about the things that keep you up at night . . . A key truth about life is that we lack the power to control the outcome, but God is powerful and in charge . . . In our anxiety, we tend to focus on the problem, and we find ourselves under the illusion that we must find a way to control what worries us . . . God calls us to keep our focus on trusting Him with our trials . . . remember, Jesus makes it very clear, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.”
We need to ask ourselves, “Has our worry become an idol?” . . . Trusting God is not the absence of worry . . . it is taking our cares and laying them at the foot of the cross.
“Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7
When we pour out our hearts to the Lord,
the promise is not that we will receive the answers we want when we want them.
The promise is that His peace, which is beyond our comprehension,
will guard our hearts and minds.
(Dyann Shepard)
God is protecting and preserving our hearts when we pour out our concerns and offer thanksgiving . . . God isn’t judging our worry, but He understands it . . . Courage is an intentional decision . . . It is not a feeling . . . Have the courage to give it to Him.
Trusting God is not the absence of feelings either . . . it's taking our feelings, whatever they are, to Him, and laying them at the foot of the cross . . . Our spiritual well-being is dependent on our reliance on Jesus, over and over again . . . He is the constant—the beginning and the end, and the One who never changes.
“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,
who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,
encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word"
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
INVITATION—TO TALK WITH GOD . . .
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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
As this Scripture tells us, as we lay out our burdens, concerns, and fears to God, we only experience true peace after we add thanksgiving to our prayers . . . Thanksgiving is simply the expression of gratitude, especially to God.
God’s presence in all our battles can be like a balm to a wounded heart . . . Peace is the opposite of anxiety . . . While anxiety triggers a fight-or-flight response, peace brings emotional and mental balance . . . Peace is something we all crave and need . . . It satisfies our fears, our worries, our doubts, and more . . . True peace, the kind that Paul writes about in Philippians, isn’t based on our circumstances or our abilities . . . The peace of God is a gift from God.
Have you spoken your gratitude out loud to God lately? . . . Maybe now is a good time.
When we feel anxious, we are often focused on all the things going wrong around us . . . When circumstances feel out of our control, fear actually blinds us to the truth—the truth that Jesus is right there with us in whatever situation we face . . . Jesus experienced anxiety, and He understands how we feel . . . We find the strength to keep going when we shift our focus from our circumstances onto Him . . . Remembering what Jesus has already done helps us trust what He is doing now, so we can have faith for what He will do in the future . . . Keep your eyes on Jesus.
Ask God’s help to keep your focus on Him, to keep your eyes on Jesus and the cross.
As long as we believe we can handle our fears and anxious hearts ourselves, we will never find freedom from anxiety . . . But if we humble ourselves to hear from God, our hearts become soft and teachable . . . Then we can begin to realize the Bible isn’t just true for other people, it’s true for us, too.
Do you believe that God loves you so much that He wants to hear about all of your fears,
worries, and anxieties? . . . He does . . . Maybe now is a good time to talk.
When we speak our prayers instead of keeping them in our hearts, something shifts inside us . . . Hearing ourselves pray helps us find the faith to believe the words we speak and to believe that God is truly listening.
As you pray today, listen to what you’re saying to God . . . He is listening to you.
“Cast all your cares, give your burdens to the Lord,
and he will sustain and take care of you.”
Psalm 55:22
ILLUMINATION . . .
Pause for a few moments and consider this jigsaw puzzle with the cross at its center—the cross that represents Jesus at the center of your heart . . . Take a deep breath in and a slow breath out . . . Can you feel His presence within your heart? . . . It fills the emptiness, fitting just perfectly.
As you take a few moments to contemplate Christ’s presence in your life today, I would like to encourage you to reflect on these lyrics from the song “There Was Jesus,” by Dolly Parton and Zach Williams, and when you hear or see the words ‘There was Jesus’ picture this jigsaw puzzle of the heart—your heart—with room just for Jesus.
Every time I tried to make it on my own
Every time I tried to stand and start to fall
And all those lonely roads that I have travelled on . . . There was Jesus
When the life I built came crashing to the ground
When the friends I had were nowhere to be found
I couldn't see it then, but I can see it now . . . There was Jesus
In the waiting, in the searching . . . In the healing and the hurting
Like a blessing buried in the broken pieces
On the mountain, in the valleys . . . In the shadows of the alleys . . . In the fire, in the flood
Always is and always was . . . No, I never walk alone, You are always there
Every minute, every moment . . . Where I've been and where I'm going
Even when I didn't know it or couldn't see it, there was Jesus
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”
John 14:1
♪♬♪ . . . There Was Jesus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CNqhpRycfY&list=RD3CNqhpRycfY&start_radio=1
INSPIRATION—PRAYING THROUGH MUSIC . . .
Music…will help dissolve your perplexities and purify your character and sensibilities,
and in time of care and sorrow, will keep a fountain of joy alive in you.
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
I encourage you to take time to listen to any or all the songs below . . . there is no right or wrong style of music—it is what speaks to you . . . listen to the melody and the lyrics and feel the response of your heart to what God wants you to hear . . . and I do understand that music doesn’t speak to everyone . . . and that is okay too.
♪♬♪ Current . . . There's Nothing That Our God Can't Do
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AujNeQgc0ng&list=RDAujNeQgc0ng&start_radio=1
♪♬♪ Praise & Worship . . . Still
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEgGQLg6njw
♪♬♪ Traditional . . . I Cast All My Cares
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA_OAk6wyow&list=RDbA_OAk6wyow&start_radio=1
INTO EACH DAY AHEAD . . .
Life’s an ocean, not a pond. Oceans swell and rise, lower and lift.
They have a thousand turning shoulders, ever grinding into the stubborn coast.
Ponds, by contrast, are embraced by greenery, tucked away in depressions
hugged by saplings, settled with the secrets of surrounding woods. They’re still and silent and serene.
(Pierce Taylor Hibbs)
We want life to be a pond . . . there’s a whole commerce built around following other people’s advice on how to find a more peaceful life, a settled life, a pond life . . . The trouble is, despite our best efforts, the waves keep coming . . . we can’t hide ourselves from the ocean’s pounding surf of reality.
So, what do we do? . . . Stand on The Rock . . . Because life is an ocean . . . The Rock doesn’t take away the churning waters, but it is a foundation to stand upon while they churn . . . There are going to be swells and monsoons and hurricanes . . . The wind is going to keep whipping, water will rise and fall, curl and crash . . . But The Rock is steadfast!
The world goes chasing after peace, trying to restore the turmoil and disarray, seeking to avoid all conflict and chaos with short-term self-help methods . . . But there’s no point in chasing after pond life when we live in the ocean.
“Let the peace of God rule in your hearts,
since as members of one body you were called to peace.
And be thankful.”
Colossians 3:15
When the swells of anxiety rise, God says to not flee . . . He never tells us not to feel, but He does tell us where to live—in Christ—because we already have peace . . . God has already given it to us when He gave us Christ . . . Center your anxious heart on Jesus, The Rock, on whom we stand as the ocean of life throws its all at us.
“Peace, I leave with you; My peace I give to you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.”
John 14:27
Thank you, God. You’ve blessed us more than we deserve.
You are close to us when we feel lost, alone, or hopeless.
Please shine your light in our hearts and help us feel your love.
You are enough. Your grace is enough. And we gratefully acknowledge that You are good.
You are faithful, and we know that through You we find peace. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
** If you want to go deeper, I have learned a lot from Craig Groeschel’s newest book, “Heal Your Hurting Mind: Biblical Hope for Anxiety, Depression, Burnout, and the Emotions No One Talks About.”
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