Tag Archives: worry

Be Seated

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Adirondack chairsHave you considered how much time you spend sitting? I hadn’t given it much thought until I filled out a survey that asked me to account for the hours in my day. Once I added up the time I sit in front of a computer at work and at home, I realized that I spend most of my waking hours in a chair.

Probably many of us spend a lot of time sitting. But did you know that Christ is also sitting? Hebrews 10:12 says, “But when [Christ] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” Christ is sitting in heaven in a position of honor and glory because he finished everything he came to earth to accomplish.

Christ isn’t the only one sitting in heaven. Ephesians 2:6 says we’re sitting there with him: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms….” Read that again—“God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms.” According to the Interpreter’s Bible, the writer of Ephesians uses the same preposition after both verbs (raised up and seated.) This conveys the “thought that these are shared experiences, shared both with Christ and with all other Christians….” Our position in heaven is not a future event but a present reality.

How can this be? How can we be living on earth and also be seated with Christ in heaven? There’s no simple answer, but I glimpsed this reality at the beginning of a worship service. After confessing our sins, we sang “God Himself Is Present,” a hymn with lyrics by Gerhard Tersteegen. While I stood in the pew, hymnal in hand, somehow I was also simultaneously united with the hosts of heaven. As I praised God in the eternal Now, I was filled with a supernatural peace.

I’ve never forgotten that experience. More important than any mystical experience, however, is cultivating an awareness that we are seated in heaven in God’s presence every moment of every day. As we remember that we are sitting with Christ in the heavenly realms, we gain a different perspective on the troubles we face here on earth. I think that’s why the apostle Paul could refer to trials like beatings, shipwrecks, and imprisonment as “light and momentary troubles” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Whenever we face uncertainty or situations that tempt us to worry, we can remember our position. We are seated with Christ in heaven. Our access to him is unhindered. We can find rest in his presence.

The Power of Praise

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prisonPaul and Silas, first-century missionaries, were arrested for stirring up trouble in Philippi. They were stripped, beaten, and locked in stocks in a cell deep within the jail. If you and I were beaten and thrown into prison in a foreign country, we would probably be anxious and worried. But Paul and Silas chose to trust God and turned to Him in prayer. Confident that He heard their prayers and would care for them even in prison, they began praising Him. Acts 16:26 tells what happened next. “Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.”

When we choose to respond to trouble by praising God, we may not find such an immediate, miraculous change in our circumstances. But we will be gradually set free from the prison of worry and anxiety which holds us. Why? As we consider God’s attributes and praise Him for them, our trust in God expands along with our conception of Him. We are reminded that God is all powerful and will provide the grace and strength we need to face any challenge.

Timothy Keller, author of The Prodigal God, writes, “If you are filled with worry and anxiety, you do not only need to believe that God is in control of history. You must see, with eyes of the heart, his dazzling majesty. Then you will know he has things in hand.”

How can we see God’s “dazzling majesty”?

  • Spend time in nature. Witness the beauty of creation or the vastness of the night sky.
  • Read Psalms of praise (such as Psalms 95-100) aloud. Notice the awe and wonder the psalmist expresses.
  • Worship with others who have glimpsed God’s majesty.

Next time you feel threatened by fear or worry, shift your focus. Spend time considering God’s attributes and His power. Give Him your praise and adoration. You can depend on Him for miracles—fast ones or slow ones.

When have you experienced the power of praise?

 

Thanksgiving as a Way of Life

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Thanksgiving is the one day a year when we are supposed to focus on giving thanks. If you’re like me, though, you’re probably more focused on meal preparations and cleaning your house. But what would happen if we truly focused on giving thanks not only one day a year, but all 365 days a year? How would our lives change?

Betsie and Corrie ten Boom learned about the power that lies in giving thanks when they were sent to Ravensbruck, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. (They had been arrested for hiding Jews in their home in Holland.) While asking God how they could possibly live in the concentration camp, they received an answer through the scripture they had read that morning: “…give thanks in all circumstances…” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). As they stopped to thank God for what they had, rather than what they lacked, they found the courage and strength to live.

Developing an attitude of gratitude can transform our circumstances also. We can spend a few minutes each day, when we awaken or before we go to sleep, to list the things for which we’re thankful. As we remember to thank God for those things, our worries recede because we recognize how much God loves us and cares for us. As we do this consistently, we will find that worry takes a back seat to gratitude.

In his book, Loving Jesus, Lutheran theologian Mark Allan Powell describes the impact of giving thanks.  He writes that we might give thanks for big things such as life and health as well as small things such as:

…that song on the radio, the taste of red wine, the feeling of my toes digging in wet sand, the sound of my cat’s purr…. Of course, you need not limit your thanksgiving to good things that you experience. Once you begin thanking God for pleasures and blessings that come to others, your lists may become very long indeed. You will need notebooks, not index cards, to keep track of all the items for which you might (and sometimes will) give thanks. Do it. Filling those notebooks with lists of God’s blessings (to you and to others) will be one of the most rewarding spiritual activities you will ever undertake.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

 

Brave

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I attended a Girls’ Night Out at a friend’s church, New Life Ministries in Endicott, NY. The focus verse for the event was Psalm 31:34: “Be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!” We received key rings with that verse on one side and a graphic with a single word, “brave,” on the other.

I had memorized a similar verse while teaching Vacation Bible School many years ago, yet somehow I had missed the connection between having courage and being brave. Brave. Isn’t that the opposite of being worried and fearful? Yet being brave includes acting boldly in spite of fear.

Where can we find the courage to be brave? The answer is found in Joshua 1:9: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” We can be brave because we’re never alone—God is always with us.

This week in my Sunday school class, we focused on the story of David. He was just a boy when he fought the giant, Goliath, with nothing more than a sling shot and five smooth stones. “How could David be brave?” I asked the class. “Because he was on God’s team,” answered one four-year-old. His answer resonated with me. If we have put our trust in God, then we’re on his team. We can be brave and face the giants in our lives, whether they come in the shape of worry, fear, resentment or discouragement. Praise be to God!

 

Have You Been Streaking?

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I heard occasional reports of students streaking—running naked across campus—when I was in college. But I was startled when Pastor Bjorn Pedersen asked participants at a prayer conference, “Have you been streaking?” He explained that Scripture tells us to put on the armor of God. If we don’t, it’s as if we are streaking in the spiritual realm. I believe much of the fear and worry we experience results from our lack of spiritual protection.

This protection is described in Ephesians 6:11, 14-16 (Phillips):

Put on God’s complete armour so that you can successfully resist all the devil’s methods of attack. Take your stand then with truth as your belt, righteousness your breastplate, the Gospel of peace firmly on your feet, salvation as your helmet and in your hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Above all be sure you take faith as your shield, for it can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you.

The Bible tells us to clothe ourselves with Christ and his character—compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Galatians 3:27, Colossians 3:12, 1 Peter 5:5). Over these garments we can place the armor of God. I usually do this in the morning when I awaken. As I put on each piece in my imagination, I ask God to:
• Protect my mind with the helmet of salvation, with the knowledge that I have entered the kingdom of God and will spend eternity with Jesus.
• Protect my heart with the breastplate of righteousness, with the assurance that I have been made right with God through Christ’s death on the cross and been empowered to live a righteous life.
• Buckle the belt of truth around my waist so I believe only the truth and speak only the truth.
• Fit my feet with the good news of peace so I am prepared to tell others about Christ.
• Arm me with the shield of faith so I can repel any enemy attacks, including fear and worry.
• Place the sword of the Spirit in my hand so the Word of God is available when needed.

Don’t leave yourself exposed. Put on the armor of God.

Pray about Everything

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Guest Blogger: Bob Prentice

My family and I went on vacation over the 4th of July. Our plans were set, reservations made, newspaper and mail stopped, bags packed. As we made a last pass through our house to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything, I looked out the sliding glass doors in the kitchen and saw our plants. It hit me that we had no plans for taking care of our plants.

We have 16 flower pots on our back deck. They are filled with pansies, petunias, marigolds, and elephant ear caladiums. On a cool day they need a heavy soaking to stay healthy. On a hot day, they need at least two soakings to keep them from wilting.

The weather was forecast to be hot (mid to high 90s). I said to my wife, “Our plants might die.” She agreed. We’ve had times in past years when a missed watering resulted in dehydrated plants that never fully recovered. Three or four days in high heat with no water might kill them.

I lamented to my wife, “Well, that’s the price of going on vacation.”

As we were backing out of our driveway, I was thinking about our flowers and was a little sad because they gave me pleasure. The flowers were arranged on our deck so we could see them through our sliding glass doors. I enjoyed looking at them in the morning when I prepared breakfast and in the evening when I drank my coffee. They provided a sense of peace in a hurried world.

As we drove past our house a thought flashed in my mind, “You have not, because you ask not” (James 4:2). Another thought followed, “Pray about everything” (Philippians 4:6).

So I said a silent prayer right then asking our Lord to watch over our plants and protect them. I thought that praying for plants seemed like a pretty minor thing to pray about. But then I remembered a discussion we had in a small group about bringing EVERYTHING to God in prayer. And the verse, “You have not, because you ask not,” is pretty compelling. It would be hard to convey the meaning more directly. So I added prayers for our plants to my daily prayers while we were on vacation.

On our return trip I became anxious as we climbed Robinson Hill Road and headed towards our house. I thought that the plants were OK, but I wanted to see them to confirm it. When we arrived home, I walked straight to the kitchen and looked out. The plants looked wonderful. The elephant ears had grown and we had some of the biggest ears we’ve ever had. The petunias had new growth and many new flowers. Everything was thriving.

On seeing all of this, I gave praises to our Lord. I am passing this on to you that He may be honored when you read this and that you may be encouraged to bring EVERYTHING to our Lord in prayer.

Our plants after we returned

Bob Prentice is a software engineer with a passion for prayer. He and his wife, Jan, lead a weekly prayer group. They can often be found in the prayer room during worship services at their church, New Life Ministries in Endicott, NY. This post originated as an e-mail in July 2010.

How to Pray

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“For a few years I have struggled with prayer, as to whether I was doing it ‘correctly,’” a friend wrote. I was surprised by her statement because she has been a devout Catholic all her life. Yet, after reflection, I believe her struggle is universal. I often refer to Philippians 4:6 (NLT), “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.” But how should we pray?

The old adage “Honesty is the best policy” is good advice in human relationships and our relationship with God. Rather than pretending to have it all together, we can come to God with our weakness. We can confess that we are worried and fearful, that we don’t trust him fully. Only when we’re honest can we ask for what we really need.

This is why I love the story of the father whose son was afflicted with an evil spirit. He asked Jesus to heal the boy (Mark 9:22-24):

“… if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Can’t we all identify with that father? We waver between faith and doubt, between trusting God and questioning his love for us. But like the father, we can cry out, “I trust you. Help me trust you more.”

In her blog, Cynthia Bezek tells about a man who prayed the same prayers, day after day, until, one day, God told him, “Bryan, you’re boring.” This encounter transformed Bryan’s prayers, reminding him that God seeks an authentic relationship with us. Just as Moses talked to God “face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Exodus 33:11), we can talk to God, tell him all our fears and worries, and allow him to respond with his infinite wisdom.

Seeking Safety—or Seeking God

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Last night a thunderstorm woke me in the wee hours of the morning. I had trouble falling asleep again. I felt unsettled because my husband planned to drive to Colgate in the morning. I prayed for traveling mercies, but was unable to release him into God’s care and go back to sleep. Instead I traced his route in my mind as if that could magically set things right.

In the light of day my worries seem unfounded and insubstantial. What is it about the night that magnifies my fears and shrinks my faith? Analyzing my thoughts, I realize that they lead me astray. I hear rain falling, and I assume it will continue raining all day. I jump to an unjustified conclusion that rain will increase the chances of my husband having an accident en route. As the day dawns, the clouds clear, and the sun breaks through, I recognize my oversized preoccupation with safety. I’m not alone. In his book, Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes:

We are consumed by safety. Obsessed with it, actually. Now, I’m not saying it is wrong to pray for God’s protection, but I am questioning how we’ve made safety our highest priority. We’ve elevated safety to the neglect of whatever God’s best is, whatever would bring God the most glory, or whatever would accomplish His purposes in our lives and in the world.

His words are a wakeup call. Thumbing through the book of Acts, I notice that Jesus’ followers didn’t pray for safety. They prayed for boldness. (See Acts 4:23-31.) What will it take for us to stop imagining worst-case scenarios and start preparing to boldly go wherever God leads?

 

Have you been obsessed with safety?

How can you shift your focus?

Life is Short—Live It Well

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“Did you see the newspaper this morning?” my supervisor asked. No, I hadn’t. She’d seen an obituary for a woman we had known through PTA when our children were in elementary school. In her mid-50s, she had died from a malignant brain tumor. I was shocked and saddened by her death—my heart goes out to her family and friends.

I considered my response to her untimely death.  I could worry that I might also develop cancer and die prematurely. But that would be foolish.  “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Jesus said (Luke 12:25). Instead I want to consider the lessons to be learned.

  • Life is short—too short to waste time on fear and worry. I will choose faith over fear.
  • Life is short—I want it to count. I will stop procrastinating and start working toward my goals.
  • Life is short—too short to waste on holding grudges or hoping for revenge. I will choose to forgive myself and others and seek forgiveness from those I’ve hurt.
  • Life is short— I will actively pursue health by eating right, exercising regularly and getting adequate sleep. (See the Daniel Plan for guidance.)

An untimely death is a tragedy, but a greater tragedy is a long life filled with fear and worry. Take a step today towards greater trust in God by coming to know him better. Buy or borrow a copy of Jesus Calling and read a devotion each day. Or open the Bible and read a chapter each day. (Start reading the Psalms if you’re unfamiliar with the Bible.) If you’re not able to trust God, tell him and ask for his help. Change is possible, because nothing is impossible with God.

Have you struggled with worry after someone’s death?

 

Shift Your Focus

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Have you ever gotten a song stuck in your head? It’s such a common experience that someone has coined a word to describe it: earworm. I had an earworm a few days ago. I had watched the French Canadian musical, Notre Dame de Paris (in French with English subtitles). A few days later I listened to the sound track. Next thing I knew, I had one of the songs, Tu Vas Me Detruire, playing over and over in my head. I tried unsuccessfully to get it out of my head. Then I had a flash of inspiration. I began singing a Christian praise song, Blessed Be Your Name. My mind was filled with praise. The earworm was gone.

Worry is a lot like an earworm. It’s a thought pattern that gets stuck in your mind. Telling yourself to stop worrying doesn’t dispel the worry anymore than telling yourself to stop listening to the tune dispels an earworm. Changing your focus from the worry to One who is greater than your worry is what’s needed. Next time you start worrying, stop and pray, telling God your concerns. Then shift your focus. Start thanking God for hearing your prayers and praising him for who he is and what he’s done. I think you’ll find that worry can’t coexist with praise and thanksgiving.