Prayer & Anxiety

I’m not always good at praying. I do lot’s of things that “help” me to elevate my prayer activity and yet, prayer is a discipline that I have never really championed. I haven’t given up and yes, I have seasons of praying more consistently than others. Nevertheless, I don’t really pray like I believe I should. 

Something I am really good at is worrying and being anxious. When it comes to finances, my kids, our city, our country, our world, whether or not I fit in or if my efforts to love people will even make a difference, I am a triathlon at wringing my hands and giving into anxiety. I don’t want to be good at worrying. In fact, I want to be terrible at it. 

A very popular passage of Scripture was introduced to me shortly after I came to Christ and has continued to both haunt me and encourage me over the years.

4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV)

This passage haunts me because it reminds me that I am terrible at this. All at the same time, this passage reminds me that I am to offer all that I am concerned about to God and to relinquish control… Which I never had in the first place. 

I think Paul started this passage with verses 4 and 5 intentionally; “4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.” 

Why should we rejoice in the Lord? Because He is at hand! We see all throughout the Bible that God is not a distant, unconcerned God Who is hands-off when it comes to human activity. God is living and active. God is loving and protective. God cares more for you, the people that you love, and the good of this world than we ever possibly could. Do you believe this? I do.

This is why I need prayer. Not to simply recite my lists of needs to God or to yell at Him over the things I perceive are unjust or wrong with the word. I need prayer to draw near to God and remember who He is and who I am. He is God and I am not. I need to constantly get lost in His bigness and heart for the world He created and remember that He is ultimately in control and all this is about Him, not me. 

When we gather this weekend, we are going to sing a few songs to remember this truth. We will start with Oh How I Need You to place God on the throne of our hearts and confess that we are unable to maneuver this life without Him. Next, we will sing Salvation’s Tide to proclaim our trust in His great power and desire to make all things new. Finally, we will introduce a new song called This I Believe to sing aloud the hope that we have in Christ and all that God is as revealed in Scripture.