Tag Archives: Anxiety

Casting Out Angst

Eastertide

May 22, 2020

Scripture Reading:
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. –1 Peter 5:6-11

Cast all your anxiety on [God], because [God] cares for you.

In the Jewish tradition, the prayer that follows, called the Shema, is one of God’s most significant admonishments.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. . . Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. –Deuteronomy 6:4-5, 8

The book of first Peter is telling us to do essentially the same thing. God loves us, God wants the best for us, we have no better Advocate than God in all of God’s manifestations. It seems adversity brings out the best in us and perhaps the worst in some instances. It requires us to call forth from God strengthening of the fruit of the spirits as we must deal lovingly and patiently with each other and all of God’s children throughout the world. We cannot see clearly to do that if we are caught I the throws of anxiety. Yes, I know how hard it is to shake. I think that is why our scripture used a very meaningful word “cast” to describe the action we must take to rid ourselves of overwhelming anxiety. Sometimes it helps to list all our anxieties, review them, and then tear them into tiny pieces and cast them in the trash. If and when they start sneaking back into your mind, do it again each time seeking God’s mercy and love as he guides us to God’s green pastures of peace.

Prayer: Lord, free us from anxiety that cripples us from dealing with our challenges today and every day. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Seeking God’s Peace

Eastertide

April 22, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19

I love the Lord, because he has heard
   my voice and my supplications.
Because he inclined his ear to me,
   therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
The snares of death encompassed me;
   the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
   I suffered distress and anguish.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
   ‘O Lord, I pray, save my life!’ –Psalm 116:1-4

Times like these are precisely the times we need to remember that we are never alone. God is always with us. God hears us and understands us. Listening to those who are recovering from COVID 19, I hear a common thread. The typical pains of what we know as flu may be exacerbated, but they are familiar. We have recovered from them before. The symptom that seems to bring the most anxiety is the feeling that one is losing the ability to breathe. That, I am sure, is when the patient feels closest to the snares of death encompassing them. Turning our anxiety over to God is the best antidote to that fear.  The calming presence of God helps sufferers breathe easier.

That is true of the physical act of breathing. It is also true of the brushes with anxiety we experience:

  • when we get a little stir crazy being home all the time
  • when we overdose on bad news and wonder if this will ever end
  • when we consider shucking it all returning to our standard life practices without regard for prudent safety measures.

Wearing masks is an act of loving our neighbor as is coughing into our elbows and keeping our distance. It is not an affront to our civil liberties.

God loves us and wants the best for us.  In Paul’s letter to the Philippians thanking them for sending him financial support while he was in prison, he wrote:
I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:12-13)

God will be with us throughout our economic struggles, too. You can take that to the bank as God guides us into a new and better economy when we put our trust in God.

Prayer: God who is Love, grant us your peace that passes understanding as we deal with the daily challenges of a health pandemic and economic challenges. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.