Do you ever just feel worn out? Ready to check out, you turn off the TV, shut down your phone, pull the blanket over your head and hope it will go away by morning?
What you’re feeling has a name: chronic anxiety. Anxiety is a thief, taking our sleep, our energy, our well-being, and our peace.
Chances are you or someone you know seriously struggles with anxiety. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders are reaching epidemic proportions. In a given year nearly fifty million Americans will feel the effects of a panic attack, phobias, or other anxiety disorders. The United States is now the most anxious nation in the world.
Where can we turn? First of all, don’t beat yourself up. Don’t feel anxious about being anxious. We all worry at times. Even Jesus experienced anxiety. The night before his crucifixion, he was filled with dread. I think we can take our cue from him. When Jesus felt anxious he turned to prayer.
When your anxiety threatens to overwhelm you, take these steps:
Pray immediately. Don’t stew over the problems that are besetting you or your neighbor. Ask God for help as soon as you identify a need.
Pray specifically. When we boil our concerns down to a specific request, they become right-sized. Vague threats loom larger than concrete challenges.
Pray for and with others. When we consider the problems of others and enlist their help with ours, our concerns become more manageable.
Pray with thanksgiving. Anxiety and gratitude cannot occupy the same space. When we catalog what are thankful for, our list of challenges grows less powerful.
Anxiety comes with life, my friend, but it doesn’t have to dominate your life. The path to peace is paved with prayer. Let’s invite God to reframe the way we face our fears and win the war on worry. With his help, we can find calm in a chaotic world.
Tammy and I are praying for you! Email us with your requests…We are believing God to intervene for YOU!
Join us ONLINE AT FACEBOOK LIVE OR OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL or at our New Hope Campus at 9:30 or 11 for our worship services.
God bless you!
Pastor Dickie and Tammy