DAY 13: Anxiety stinks...just sayin'...

The last few years have been...well...interesting, to say the least. I've truly been on a journey with God that I've likened to water-walking. It's been about stepping out onto the unknown and keeping my eyes on Jesus all the while. (If you don't know the story of Jesus' disciple Peter walking on water, then check out Matthew 14.) There have been plenty of moments where I've felt like I was about to sink. As friendships ebbed and flowed and money did the same, I wondered where I was going wrong. I felt like crying out to God on more occasions than I care to remember, "What's wrong with me?!" or "Why can't I have an EASY button, Lord?" And the Lord has heard my whines and has never turned a deaf ear. My anxieties are not news to God. The Bible tells me that he foreknew me before I was formed in my mother's womb (Jeremiah 1:5). He is not surprised by my life's circumstances and he knew the decisions I would make because he knows me better than anyone. He knew that very early on, I would need Philippians 4:6-7 as one of my key life verses.

Each and every time I begin to experience anxiety about what I am or am not doing, who I have or have not become, God faithfully brings this verse back to my remembrance. And every time, I find that peace rising up to the top to quiet my anxieties. It's gotten to the point where I've begun to see anxiety as a place of sin in my heart. You see, every time I get anxious, it's like a slap in the face to God--saying that I don't believe that he knows me as good as he does or that his plan for me needs my help. My anxiousness is a sign of being on the water, taking my eyes off Jesus, beginning to watch the waves and sink. My anxiousness impedes my ability to trust him fully.

Today, I know that there are many people who are sinking...or at least you feel like you are. You feel as though you've taken a step of faith--either big or small--and are now in the middle of the ocean floundering. But the good news is that you are not alone. God is out there with you. He wants to remind you today that your focus needs to be on Him. He wants to encourage you that he's able to keep you from falling. He wants to comfort you with that "peace that surpasses all understanding." Just a suggestion where this is concerned: Take him up on it.

Lord today help us to truly 'cast our cares upon you knowing that you care for us' (1 Peter 5:7).

Thank you for being a great father who is the giver of the best gifts (James 1:17)...including peace.

Amen.

Blessings,

Pastor Andrea