Day 23 - Prayer and Anxiety

 

Dear Praying Church,

A praying life is an anxiety-buster.

Many people, to include Christians, struggle with anxiety. This includes me. I have had my anxious moments.

Jesus addresses anxiety in John 14:1, as he counsels his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Jesus said this, knowing his disciples’ hearts were troubled.

The biblical Greek word for ‘troubled’ can be translated as ‘agitated.’ Like the agitator of a washing machine goes back and forth, so the human heart can go back and forth, up and down. Agitation, troubledness, anxiety – they can all refer to a negative condition of the heart.

Anxiety produces nothing that is good. Thus, in Philippians 4:6, Paul counsels Jesus-followers to “be anxious about nothing.” The biblical Greek word for ‘anxious’ is often used in contexts where persecution is happening. For example, in Matthew 10:19, Jesus counsels his disciples: “When they arrest you, do not be anxious about what to say or how to say it.” Here the word ‘anxious’ is related to ‘worry.’

 When Paul counsels the Philippians to not worry, it’s not like he’s sitting on the beach, savoring a latte. He’s in prison! The admonition to not worry comes in an atmosphere of fear and persecution. The Philippian Jesus-followers were suffering under opposition from their pagan neighbors, like Paul and Silas suffered when among them (Acts 16:19-24; Phil 1:28-30).

I know what anxiety is. I have experienced it in troubling times. How realistic is it to be told "Be anxious for nothing" when you are facing hard circumstances?

Paul's answer, emerging out of his experience, is found in his rich, ongoing prayer life. He writes:

Do not be anxious about anything, 

but in every situation, 

by prayer and petition, 

present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6-7

Henri Nouwen had a proof that prayer works. (See Nouwen, Gracias! A Latin American Journal.) Nouwen said when he didn't pray, he was more easily filled with fear, worry, agitation, troubledness, and anxiety. But, as he lived a praying life, God diminished these things.

I have found that a consistent praying life works to stop the inner agitator. I experience God as a great Counselor and Caregiver who casts out my fears. It is in praying that I come to know, by experience, that I have a Father God who loves me, and whom I trust.

 Worry and anxiety cannot co-exist with trust. Trust is established in the heart of a person who prays. In praying, we place our burdens on Jesus, for he cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7)

 My dear brothers and sisters, bring your anxieties and fears to the Lord, in prayer, and discover that he cares for you.

 Love,

 PJ

 

 

TODAY

Let this day be a day of trusting the Lord.

Repeat, “I trust You, Lord.”

From my book 31 Letters to the Church on Praying.