ANXIETY

When we decide to take that first step in facing our fears and addressing the root cause of our anxiety, we don’t have to face them alone. We have a God who loves us and is waiting for us to come to Him. Paul tells us to give all our worries and cares to God.

When he tells us to give them all, he means the “small” day to day worries that we may deem inconsequential. He means the concern for things that we know will pass eventually but seem big in the moment. He means the fears that seemingly have no possible solution. There is nothing off limits when we take our worries to the Father.

When we approach the Lord in prayer, He is not concerned with how articulate we are, how extensive our vocabulary is, or how flowery our speech is. He is just looking for an open and honest heart, seeking Him. The more time we spend with Him, the more we learn to recognize His voice and receive the peace that can only come from Him. When we are able to take the fear and worry to God, we can begin to move forward.

When we pray to the Father, we should be specific. It is so easy to fall into the pattern of praying vaguely, but He wants us to come to Him with our specific requests.

There are so many examples throughout the Bible, Old and New Testaments, of people specifically petitioning God for their tangible and intangible needs, great and small. Some people cried out to the Lord while others quietly made their requests known. Our Heavenly Father heard each one. Jesus often prayed to God the Father and even gave us an example of how to pray to Him.

In Jeremiah 29:12-13 we are reminded that when we pray and call on Him, He will listen. It doesn’t stop there. It also says that when we seek Him with our whole heart we will find Him. He is there- waiting for us to seek Him, to call on Him, so that He can answer.

We don’t need to be afraid or timid when we come to Him. We can approach the throne boldly, expecting our Heavenly Father to answer, sometimes in the manner we want or expect Him to, but oftentimes in a surprising way that we would never have imagined.

Have you ever noticed that the most joyful people are not those who seem to have a carefree life with few problems, but the people who choose to be thankful? Everyone has differing amounts of legitimate worries and fears. It’s up to us to intentionally choose to find and dwell on the things for which we can be thankful. When we decide to choose joy and thankfulness, we are refusing to give in to the worries and fears that threaten to overwhelm us. We instead focus our hearts on finding the good, no matter how difficult it may be for us to see in the moment, that God has promised us.

When we have reached that place, where it is difficult to see the good, to see how God is working- here are a few places to start. Chances are, once you begin to be thankful, even when you aren’t feeling thankful, you will develop an attitude of gratitude and joy.

• We can give thanks for who God is, the creator of the world, our provider and healer, and our Heavenly Father who sent His Son to bare the cross for our sins. He also left us the Holy Spirit to be with and comfort us and to lead and guide us, while also interceding for us.

• We can give thanks that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His love is never changing and never ending. His mercies are new every morning. He has a plan and a purpose for each of us.

• Lastly, we can give thanks that He is with us and is listening to us. In Psalms we are told to, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving.” His desire is for us to seek Him, and with a thankful heart, bring our fears, worries, anxiety, and requests to Him, believing that He will work all things for good.

God offers peace that exceeds our understanding. Paul reminds us that it’s a peace that we can only receive from Jesus, as he guards our hearts and minds. The way we receive this is by going to the Father, honestly pouring our hearts out to Him, and believing with grateful expectation that He will answer.

We can choose to dwell on the fears and worries of the world that weigh us down, missing the blessings and opportunities that God is waiting to offer us.

Or we can, through prayer and with a thankful heart, seek God and be amazed at the love, care, and peace we find as we are reminded that there is no problem or circumstance that is too big for our Father who is working all things for our good because he cares for us.