I opened an email from a sweet reader (one of you) last week. She was asking me about anxiety. What do we do with it? She noted that even when we pray and give it to God, the worry and anxious knot in our stomach doesn’t always go away. I chewed on the corner of my bottom lip, unsure of how to handle or tackle such a great question. I had to sit on this one for a few days because anxiety isn’t something light – it’s something I wanted to handle with care for this sweet gal’s sake.

Sometimes, when I get these kinds of questions from you gals, I wish I could call in someone more educated and someone wiser. And many times, I wish I could hug you in person and wrap my arms around you and tell you, “It’s going to be okay. You’re doing great, and God has you.” 

After a few days of thinking on this question about anxiety, I’m reminded that we have a Counselor. We have the Spirit who guides, leads, and teaches us. And sometimes, maybe what we need is not so much a perfect answer, but we need to know we are not alone in our questions.

I struggle with anxiety too. There have been moments and seasons where I can’t seem to shake off my worries or lay aside the heavy weight of anxiety. And it’s frustrating! Maybe you do this too – sometimes I try to exercise my way to peace, or dress my way to peace, or shop my way to peace, or distract my way to peace. Sometimes I do everything but the very thing that God says leads to peace….(Phillippians 4:6-7)

PRAY.

Sometimes I try all the other options first, then I finally pray.

But the times where I go to God first are the times when my peace is the deepest.

You are not alone in your anxiety. We live in a time where anxiety is high. I don’t think the online world helps with this. Social media, constant access to our phones and email inboxes, and the like, makes us feel contantly busy. We live in a distracting world, and I think if we’re not careful, it shows up in our souls.

As Christian gals, I think we all know what to do when we’re anxious – run to God and to prayer. But in the moment of anxiety, sometimes it’s not our go-to. Instead, we dwell on our anxious thoughts or run to something else to calm the angst.

But what if we allow the anxious thought to be an arrow pointing us to God?

Sweet ones, God wants to know all that is going on in your heart. Yes, He already knows your thoughts and feelings, but He wants you to talk to Him just like you are Daddy and daughter sitting on a back porch swing just talking.

I ran across this verse this week,

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” Isaiah 66:12

It made me think about my three growing sons. My boys are 8, 10, and 13, and turning into young men before my eyes. It got me thinking about how much it blesses me when we just talk – nothing fancy, just talkin. I love their questions, there comments, their laughter, their “Hi Mommy.” as they pass through the kitchen.  I love how they come find me when I’m not in the kitchen. :) I love when we talk baseball, or superheroes, or about God. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about deep spiritual things or about something they want to tell me about school or about what’s for dinner….it’s a privilege to be their mom. It’s a privilege to get to be there for them. I feel honored when they hang out with me.

I think God just wants to hang out with us often. I think that just like I love for my kiddos to talk and just for us to hang out, God longs for the same thing from us. Yes, He wants us to ask Him the deep, spiritual questions, but I think He wants to hang out whether we’re praying about our day, our to-do list, or our hearts. He wants to hear from us and He wants to speak to us. And as it says in that verse in Isaiah 66, just as a mama comforts her child, so will He comfort you, sweet one, as you let Him be your comforter.

God longs to be the One who comforts you.

God longs to be the One you turn to.

God longs to be the One who lifts you up.

God longs to be the One you delight in.

God longs to care for you, speak to you, love you, and encourage you.

God wants to do life with you.

And I think somewhere in there lies the key to overcoming anxiety.

When we let God in, He takes the weight of our anxiety. As we tell Him exactly what is causing our anxiety, it opens our hearts to a deeper connection with Him.

And gals remember, when we pray, our prayers are powerful and effective. (James 5:16) God hears our prayers and God moves when we pray. When we pray in faith about whatever is causing our anxiety, God will move.

Your prayers are moving God’s heart.

Something specific that has helped me lately whenever I feel anxiety’s tug on my heart is to pray Scripture. For example, take this verse, “For this is what the Lord says: I will extend peace to her like a river.” Isaiah 66:12 So take a verse that speaks to your heart and then turn it into a prayer. So in this instance, I would pray something like, “Lord, in this situation, extend peace to me like a river” or “Lord, please give (so and so) peace today like a river.”

There’s something really powerful about praying Scripture, and as we pray God’s Word, His truth is painted on our hearts more and more which in turn, helps us feel more peaceful and less anxious.

I think there are also some practical things we can do to lessen our anxiety, but I will save those for another day because I’ve given you a lot to chew on this week.

I hope you know today that you are not alone in your anxiety. And I pray you know that Jesus will gladly take the burdens you’re carrying and help you navigate life as you trust in Him. Remember to let your anxiety point you to Him, pray it out with Him and tell Him everything that’s on your heart, then turn it over to Him by praying some Scripture over your situation. And keep praying daily.

When we make prayer and our connection with God our main thing, the other things, like anxiety, lose their hold on us.

Praying today you find peace like a river.

I’m going to leave you with a prayer from Whispers and Wildflowers today from the chapter where we touch on anxiety:

“Lord, thank You for Your invitation to hand over my everyday stresses and concerns to You. Thank You that nothing is too small or insignificant for You. Here are all the everyday worries that are crowding my heart (list those things here). Help me to daily turn over every care to You and to live fully in the present moment with You. Thank You that You have my tomorrows. Thank You for tending my heart so personally with Your love and care. Thank You for shepherding me and providing all that I need every day.”

Love and grace,

Sarah Beth