I trust that as we move through this Lenten season, that you are taking advantage of opportunities to draw closer to God through personal prayer, study and meditation. Practicing spiritual disciplines can also be useful tools in drawing us closer to God and His Spirit as well. I encourage all of us to be proactive in our spiritual development, especially during this particular season. You will not regret it, I promise you!
When I say, “Anxieties make a house call,” does it resonate with you in some way?
One morning (not that long ago) at 2:00 a.m. my anxieties decided to pay me a visit. They came as a group. They didn’t even bother to knock at the front door, but let themselves right in. They marched right up to my bedroom and woke me up.
One by one, they began to scream at me, “What are you going to do about this and that? Isn’t it terrible? There’s no way out. You’re surely done for, aren’t you? Have you thought about this?”
It was at this moment that I knew I had one of three options. I could continue to lie on my bed and entertain these intruders, passing out bits of crumpets and cookies. This, of course, would only fatten them up and enliven them to voice even more opinions.
Option number 2 was to simply try to escape them by way of fantasy. I could pretend that they didn’t exist and never had. I could enter the realm of fantasy by way of my imagination. I could dream away my present circumstances. I could be young, thin, rich, living in a different time, living with different people and romantically sought after. What would that avail? My intruders would still be waiting for me when I awoke.
Option 3 – I could get up and seek the Lord. I could then commune with the Living God of all power, wisdom and glory. I could cast all my care upon Him and allow Him to undertake in every circumstance.
By the grace of God, I was empowered to take option number 3. Rising up, I spoke for a lingering time with the Lord. I poured forth all my stresses. Then I opened His Word to my devotional Psalm. There in verse 19 of Psalm 94 I read, “In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.”
It was then that the Divine exchange took place. I gave God every anxiety and took upon myself His delightful comforts. I even numbered them:
- God will perfect that which concerns me.
- God sees everything and nothing is hidden from His sight.
- God is at work.
- God loves me. I am His beloved, and He is mine.
- Emmanuel, God, is with me and will NEVER leave me nor forsake me.
- God is good and does good!
- God will deal with the evil doer, the reviler, the slanderer, gossip, the gainsayer, the complainer.
- God does not condemn me. God is for me.
- God will supply my every need according to His riches in glory.
- God understands me.
- God hears my prayer.
- God delights to answer my prayer.
The comforts continued to abound and as they did they ushered my anxieties to the door and bid them leave, unfed and unattended.
How do you deal with your anxieties? Are you letting God, through His Holy Spirit, usher them out of your rooms?