Finding Peace in a World of High Anxiety

The film “High Anxiety,” Mel Brooks’ comedic spoof of Alfred Hitchcock-style suspense mysteries, was released in 1977. Without going into what the film was about, it occurs to me that high anxiety might be a good way of describing many people today, nearly 50 years later.

 

Ever feel like you're approaching a waterfall,
about to go over the edge?

Every day it seems we encounter more and more reasons for feeling anxious and nervous about our everyday lives and society in general. According to one online source, high anxiety can result from the complex interaction of many factors, some of genetic, environmental, and
psychological origin. Stressful life events and many kinds of trauma also can trigger high levels of anxiety. 

 

As I’ve mentioned before, just a daily dose of broadcast news is sufficient to put our teeth on edge. Frankly, I think that’s the newscasters’ goal. You know the mantra, “If it bleeds, it leads”?

 

Anxiety is something I’ve dealt with a lot over the course of my life. Sometimes I couldn’t even trace the source of my anxious state of mind; some days I still wake up with troubling thoughts coursing through my mind. It might involve family matters, finances, making difficult decisions regarding the future, or a variety of other things.

 

When those moments arise, I’ve concluded I have two choices: I can continue to dwell on them, fretting and worrying about things that for the most part I can’t control. Or I can pray, entrusting my concerns to the Lord, since He’s fully capable of handling them. He doesn’t need my help.

 

Several Bible verses serve as reminders of the benefits of letting go of my anxieties and allowing God to deal with them instead. One of my favorites is 1 Peter 5:7, which says we’re to “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” When circumstances seem overwhelming, this enables me to pray, ‘Here You are, Lord. I’ll let You wrestle with this. Thank you.”

 

Another powerful passage is found in the fourth chapter of Philippians. After being admonished to “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” we’re given this assurance: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4,6-7).

 

Rejoicing – and giving thanks. Those are two activities that seem foreign to many of us when we’re struggling with trials and challenges that have reduced us to bundles of nerves. But they’re important, because doing so means acknowledging our trust in the Lord and His sovereign control of even the most difficult times in our lives.

 

I just finished reading The Hiding Place, written by Corrie ten Boom. It’s about her experiences in Nazi concentration camps after she and her family had harbored Jewish fugitives in their home in the Netherlands during World War II. Even though the events she describes occurred more than 80 years ago, they still seem unbelievable. How could humans be so inhumane?

 

At one point Corrie and her sister, Betsie, were assigned to a huge dormitory jammed with women who also had been arrested and sentenced to grueling labor and horrific living conditions. On top of everything, they discovered their beds – if they could be called that – were infested with fleas.

 

How could things get worse? Corrie wondered. However, her sister encouraged her to be thankful even for the fleas. Corrie found this incomprehensible – until they discovered that the dormitory was the only place they were free from the hateful watch of the Nazi guards. The reason? Because the guards didn’t want to be anywhere near the fleas.

 

The Psalms are replete with declarations about how we can find peace with the Lord even in the most difficult, anxiety-causing circumstances. One I often call to mind is Psalm 55:22, “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.” That is not a ‘hope-so’ statement but one of confident assurance, the earnest expectation that the Lord will always do as He has promised.

 

I could cite many more examples, but here’s one that King David, during one of the many times of fierce opposition that he faced during his reign, wrote: “I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).

 

Whether I wake up in the morning with anxious thoughts filling my mind, or something distressing happens during the day, I try to remind myself to rest in promises like these. Even in the troubling 21^st century, we can choose either to endure high anxiety, or to trust in the Lord and cast our fears and concerns upon Him.

During Uncertain Times Remember E + R = O

They used to say the only things certain in life are death and taxes. But increasingly it’s become evident that at least one other thing is certain: Uncertainty.

 

For most of us that’s not a good thing. We like the certainty of regular paychecks, our cars starting whenever they’re needed, knowing the food we buy at the grocery store is safe to eat, predictable weather, and many other things. And yet we’ve learned the jobs and incomes we have depended on can suddenly disappear. We might press the START button on our car and hear nothing except, ”click-click.” If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute. And every so often we hear news of product recalls in which tainted food is being removed from supermarket shelves. 

 

And in an important election year, feelings of uncertainty are understandably heightened. Given the certainty of uncertainty, the question becomes, how are we to react? Do we walk around constantly on edge, on the brink of panic if just one more crisis arises?

 

Years ago, the late Tim Kight, a highly regarded leadership consultant, devised a simple equation for handling the critical developments and crises in our lives. That equation was E + R = O. This stands for Event + Response = Outcome.

 

For example, something occurs that makes you angry. How should you respond? Do you lash out in response, making it clear that the other person has offended or upset you? That’s how many people typically react, adding fuel to the fire of an already volatile situation. And why not? If someone has hurt you, shouldn’t you let them know?

 

Sadly, an all-too-common contemporary example is road rage. A driver does something to irritate another, the second driver becomes angry, and responds in a dangerous manner. A classic demonstration of E +R = O.

 

Interestingly, the book of Proverbs addresses such situations: “A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel” (Proverbs 15:18). Another verse states, “As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife” (Proverbs 26:21).

 

But it also presents a striking contrast: “A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered” (Proverbs 17:27). These passages describe similar situations, both which stir strong emotions. We could call these the Event. The difference is in the Response. One is to turn annoying or angering words into a shouting match – Outcome #1. The other is to exercise restraint, seeking to quell the situation with calmness and reasoning – Outcome #2.

 

Let’s shift gears and consider the current tumultuous condition of our society. Whether it’s the soon-to-be-over election, the economy, or myriad other concerns, we can find many reasons for feeling anxious and fearful. Any of those can be singled out as the Event. We might not have any control over the Event, but we can control our Response.

 

We can spend the night tossing and turning, losing sleep as we futilely search for solutions to what’s bothering us. We can walk around like emotional powder kegs, ready to blow at the slightest provocation. We can opt for any number of other ways for displaying our frustration. Or we can refuse to let the Event, whatever it may be, dictate the form of our Response.  

 

In the Scriptures we find a passage that seems to sum up the best possible E + R = O approach. In Philippians 4:6-7 the apostle Paul admonished Christ followers in ancient Philippi – and us, 2,000 years later – to, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”… Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

Just as today, people living in Philippi had many reasons for anxiety and fear. They faced persecution, troubles and trials of many kinds, and Paul wasn’t attempting to minimize or dismiss their concerns. But he was telling them worry and anxiousness were counterproductive, accomplishing nothing. So regardless of the Event that was troubling them, he urged that their Response include prayer, joyfully thanking God for His love and grace, and in faith presenting their needs to Him.

 

By focusing on God and their relationship with Him, rather than their circumstances, they could experience an Outcome of inner peace that would transcend or confound common sense and human understanding. Instead of screaming and shouting and jumping about, they could find solace and confidence in God who sovereignly guides the affairs of men.

What’s the Event that’s weighing you down the most today? Why not, instead of the typical, ‘Well, I’m only human’ Response, apply the wisdom of Philippians 4:6-7 and see how the Outcome might be different. 

Trying to Be Worry-Free in a Worrisome World

How would you rate yourself on the “worry scale”? Are you one of the fortunate few who don’t have a care in the world, unaffected by anything that happens to you or around you? If so, congratulations. Maybe you should write a book to tell us your secret.

 

The rest of us, however, classify as worriers to one extent or another. After all, we live in a worrisome world. Some are able to limit their worrying to extraordinary things – like an asteroid colliding with the earth, an earthquake causing California to sink into the Pacific, or a volcano erupting in Omaha, Neb. For the rest of us, worries come in all shapes and sizes, about anything and everything.

Growing up, my mom was a world-class worrier. If there was something she could think of to worry about, she did. If there was nothing to worry about, she worried about that. I remember one day sitting next to her and in my vast teenaged wisdom, declaring, “Mom, if worrying did any good, I’d sit right here and worry twice as hard as you do.” 

 

Of course, most teenagers can seem oblivious to how things can affect their little worlds. At that age they typically echo the famous words of MAD magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman, dating back to the mid-1950s: “What, me worry?” As we get older, we discover there’s plenty of things to worry about. This can lead to an affliction sometimes known as “worry warts.”

 

The COVID pandemic served as a perfect example. Especially during the early months, no one knew for sure what the world was dealing with. Would it prove to be on the scale of the Black Plague or bubonic plague, the Ebola virus, or something even worse? Fearing the worst, many of us social-distanced, quarantined, face-masked, got the jabs (at least the first one or two), and did just about everything the “experts” were recommending. National worry soared to an all-time high.

 

Thankfully those concerns have faded for most people, but that hasn’t stopped us from thinking of other stuff to worry about. We’d like to sing the little ditty of years past, “Don’t worry. Be happy,” but that seems much easier said than done.

 

Melanie Greenberg, a clinical psychologist and author of The Stress-Proof Brain, posits that 85% of the things we worry about never happen. Apparently, we’re conjuring up a lot of unnecessary mental stress and distress. Someone might argue, “Yeah, but what about the 15% of things that do happen? How do we tell which is which?”

 

I’m certainly not immune to worrying, but I have learned that rather than trying to know the unknowable – which things are truly worth worrying about – it’s a better plan to learn how to release our worries in the first place.

 

The Bible is filled with admonitions to exercise our faith in God rather than worrying about things beyond our control, but two brief passages in particular have served me well over the years. You might be familiar with one or both, but given our propensity for worry, they’re worth revisiting from time to time.

 

Philippians 4:6-7 exhorts, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The New Living Translation puts it this way: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done.”

 

Things we can justify worrying about – the upcoming Presidential and Congressional elections; inflation; global pandemics; threats of war; severe weather events, among others – are beyond our control, so why squander our emotional energy trying to figure out what can be done about them? Faith in the Lord means trusting that He is in control, He’s not surprised when adverse circumstances arise, and He’s fully capable of handling them – as He has throughout human history.

 

Instead of worrying and letting anxiety build, we can pray and submit our concerns and needs to God, expressing thankfulness in advance for what He’s going to do. Years ago, when I was facing open-heart surgery, the first couple of days were filled with anxiety. But as I prayed, committing my situation, my family and my future to Him, I truly experienced “the peace that surpasses all comprehension.” That has been the case for me and my family more times than I could count.

 

The other verse that immediately comes to mind is 1 Peter 5:7, which urges us to “Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you.” It’s a simple but sound advice from the Scriptures. Whether it’s a serious health diagnosis, an overwhelming financial problem, family issues, or any of many other possibilities, knowing God is not only in control but also that He loves us and desires the best for us can lift the load of worry off our shoulders and place it on His more than able shoulders.

 

To amend Alfred E. Neuman’s quotation, we can declare, ‘What, me worry? I’ve handed all my worries to God. He can handle them a lot better than I can.”

Are You a Prayer Warrior – Or Prayer Worrier?

Prayer is at once one of the most intriguing and most intimidating parts of the Christian life. We’re talking to a God we cannot see – at least in the physical, visual sense. And we approach Him with mixtures of praise, petitions, pleas and perplexities. Sometimes we feel the need to pray but have no clue about how we should pray or what we should pray for.

 

Preachers offer us prayer acronyms like ACTS – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication – but we’re tempted to shortcut through the praising, confessing and thanking portions so we can get right to the asking part – presenting our needs, concerns and desires. Praying, many of us agree, is hard.

 

Within our family of faith, there are those who are called “prayer warriors.” They have a God-given passion for praying. Some of them designate literal “prayer closets” or “war rooms” where they engage in spiritual battle with prayer as their only weapon. The Kendrick brothers even produced a movie called “War Room” about one such valiant woman.

These prayer warriors receive little acclaim – and do not seek it – but who knows the difference their faithful prayers have made within their families, churches, communities and even the nation? It’s said that at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, England, where renowned British preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon served for more than 30 years, in the basement there was a “boiler room” (with no boiler, only chairs) where hundreds of people would gather every Sunday morning to intercede for him as he preached.

 

We sometimes hear folks speculating about whether we all have a guardian angel. Would that we each had a faithful prayer warrior to daily approach “God’s throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16) on our behalf.

 

But there’s another kind of praying person, one I would call the “prayer worrier.” I’ve fit this description at times. Prayer worriers are those who tend to turn to God in prayer only as a last resort, after they’ve exhausted all possibilities in trying to resolve their anxieties, concerns and worries. Then they don’t even pretend to go through the first three steps of ACTS. They plunge straight into Supplication, opening their prayers with something like, “God, it’s me again. We’ve got some troubles here…!”

 

This isn’t to ridicule such individuals, partly because I’ve been there. But the problem with prayer worrying is that we pray, presenting the dilemma to God, perhaps submitting a request as we entrust the matter to Him. Then, moments after our “amen,” we snatch back the concern and resume agonizing, trying to figure out how to solve it ourselves.

 

We don’t want to release the worrying part – at least it makes us feel like we’re doing something.

 

I haven't met many genuine prayer warriors, so I don’t know if sometimes they slip into prayer worrying. But worrying about something is about as effective as attempting to stop a raging river with the palm of our hand. That’s one reason we’re admonished in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

We want to protest, “Yeah, but what about…?” As one Bible scholar put it, when it says “everything” in the Greek, it means…everything. No exclusions, no exceptions. Not the coronavirus, not the political scene, not when our children aren’t always making the best decisions. Everything.

 

But how can we make the leap from prayer worrier to prayer warrior? I’m hardly the expert, but I suspect a very short, simple Scripture verse can point us in the right direction. Writing to the ancient church in Thessalonica, the apostle Paul exhorted them, “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Or as another translation expresses it even more concisely, “pray continually.”

 

If we strive to stay in continual contact with God – like calling someone on the phone but never hanging up – the stresses and befuddlements of life are far less likely to consume us. When a little problem or major crisis arises, our first reaction is to pray, not to panic.

 

In introducing what we commonly know as “the Lord’s prayer,” Jesus said, “And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:7-8).

 

Do we truly believe that? Do we pray not to inform God of what’s happening, but to approach Him in reverence and trust, believing that in His time and His way He will answer our prayers, often in ways we could never have imagined? 

 

I love His promise from Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things that you do not know.” I’m all in favor of that – aren’t you?

Fear Always Ranks High Among Top 10 Emotions

 If you were to name the emotions you’re most familiar with, what would they be? Love? Happiness? Anger? How about fear? Does that one rank high for you?

Fear – along with its kissin’ cousin, anxiety – both are emotions that stir in all of us more often than we’d like to admit. Especially this year. If it hasn’t been the pandemic – and so often it has been – it’s been the economic consequences, social unrest and riots, along with severe weather, such as hurricanes, extreme heat, fires and other natural calamities. Then there’s been the constant political drama, with both sides frantically pointing accusing fingers at each other, assuring us that if their opponents are elected, that’s the end of the world as we have known it.

I’ve become exceedingly weary of the boy who cried wolf anchoring the evening news on one network, along with Chicken Little on another channel constantly announcing that the sky is falling. One notable news commentator stated off camera not too many years ago, “Our job is to scare the h--- out of our viewers.” And they’ve been doing a good job of it.

 

Is it any wonder the Bible speaks so often about fear? I’ve not taken the time to count, but according to experts on such things, the Scriptures command us to “fear not” a total of 365 times in the Old and New Testaments. One for every day of the year!

 

We don’t have to search far or long to find biblical references to fear. With the Israelites poised to finally enter the Promised Land, God reminded Joshua: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

 

Why this admonition? Because earlier, Moses had sent 12 spies, representing every tribe of Israel, into Canaan. Most of them came back with fearful, pessimistic reports of fortified cities and huge, well-armed people. Joshua and Caleb were the only ones returning from the spy mission who didn’t see a problem. Theirs was the original “minority report.”

 

In fact, Joshua said, “If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into the land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land…their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them” (Numbers 14:9). But the Israelites chose instead to accept the majority’s conclusion. As a result, they wandered the next 40 years in the wilderness.

 

Centuries after the people of Israel finally passed victoriously into the Promised Land, their fear problem persisted. So in Isaiah 41:10, God offered this promise: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

 

The fear dilemma is not limited to a nation, region of the world, or even an era of history. In his first inaugural address in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt boldly declared, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” Many of his hearers probably thought, “That’s easy for you to say, FDR,” with the nation in the throes of the Great Depression and World War II imminent.

 

Remembering the horrific moments of 9/11 and its immediate aftermath, fear was palpable. Complacency and apathy dispersed. Without warning, an enemy had struck; we wondered what was next.

 

Fast-forward to the present – and looking ahead to the future – fear again has become a nearly constant companion for many of us. And with both the mainstream media and social media serving a steady barrage of negativity, the fear impulse doesn’t figure to subside any time soon.

 

What are we to do? Just grin and bear it? Anesthetize our anxieties with booze or drugs or whatever else we can find to numb our minds?

 

Recently in a small group Bible study, someone asked us to listen to the praise song, “No Longer Slaves.” It reminds us, “I’m no longer a slave to fear. I am a child of God.” This is an important reminder, especially since it’s an assurance we forget so easily. 

 

Jesus often addressed the subject of fear with His followers. Speaking about the prevalent plague of worry, Jesus told them, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:22-32).

 

Another time, Jesus and His closest disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee when an unexpected storm sent huge waves surging over their boat. He was asleep when the storm struck, so the panicked disciples cried out, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” To which Jesus replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” and He proceeded to command the wind and waves to cease (Matthew 8:23-27).

 

When that happened, the passage states, the men were amazed. Duh! And yet, every day we see God doing amazing things in our lives, or in the lives of others. The key, as Jesus pointed out, is faith: Not only intellectual belief, but also confident assurance and trust that no matter how dire our circumstances, the Lord is present and poised to respond to our prayers.

 

In fact, His last recorded words prior to ascending to heaven were, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

 

This year has seemed like one unending storm, one surge after another. Humanly speaking, we have every reason to fear. “What’s next?” But times like these serve to strengthen our faith, causing us to dig deeply to determine in what – and in Whom – it really lies. 

 

Rather than collapsing in fear, we can follow the admonition of Philippians 4:6-7, which says: “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Concentrating on the Knowns, Not Overwhelmed by the Unknowns

When confronting any crisis, whether a pandemic, a foreboding weather forecast, financial challenges, a difficult career decision, or just the fickle nature of the future, we hate having to deal with the unknown.

Years ago, Donald Rumsfeld, while serving as Secretary of Defense during the Gulf War, spoke about that in describing the uncertainties of warfare. He said there are “known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns.” 

Just a few months ago we were eagerly looking ahead to 2020, expecting many wonderful surprises. Well, it brought surprises, but a lot of them weren’t what we anticipated. At the dawn of the new year, our “known knowns” were easy: Such as where we went to work, income we could count on, the place where we worshipped, and plans we were making for the months ahead. 

The unknowns in our lives were more problematic, of course. Our “known unknowns” included things like whether the economy would continue to thrive, if we would receive that promotion or pay raise we were hoping for, what new people would come into our lives, or how our favorite teams would fare during the upcoming season.

Then a thing called the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic came out of nowhere toward the end of January, becoming the greatest “unknown unknown” we had ever encountered. Who knew it was coming, or even imagined it? In its wake, many of the things we thought we knew went by the wayside. 

Lots of people had their work dramatically change; others had their jobs disappear in an instant, even if only temporarily. Money many folks counted on suddenly wasn’t there. We no longer worried about whether our favorite teams would be successful; it became a matter of if they would play at all. And our homes became our “places of worship.” It seems “unknown unknowns” can have that effect on us.

Commenting on this, Philip DeCourcy, pastor of Kindred Church in Anaheim Hills, Calif., acknowledged life’s unknowns have always been at best unsettling, at worst tragic. They can overwhelm us, dump us into states of fear and despair, or immobilize us like a deer staring into headlights. For that reason, he said, we’re wise to focus instead on the “known knowns,” those things that can serve as a refuge in the midst of a storm.

These, for those who know Jesus Christ and believe what we read in the Scriptures, can provide comfort beyond measure. Because if we were to count them, we would find hundreds upon hundreds of “known knowns” in the Bible. Truths both timeless and unchanging.

Where to start? Here’s an obvious one: “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). We don’t have to worry about whether our relationship with Him will change, or if His love for us will fade. Similarly, in Revelation 4:8 we read about the angels declaring, “’Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was and is and is to come.” He is eternal, has always been and always will be.

In times of distress, we might want to cry out, “Lord, where are you?” But the Bible says that should not trouble us. Just before His ascension to heaven, Jesus told His followers, “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). God made a similar promise in the Old Testament, assuring His chosen people of Israel, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). 

Does COVID-19 or its economic impact still keep you awake at night? Or maybe a problem totally unrelated to the pandemic? The Scriptures give us many promises of God’s presence, provision and protection, but one of the most familiar is Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When we present our concerns to Him through prayer, the Lord promises to give us peace and assurance that He is working through our circumstances.

You get the idea: We can wallow in the wilderness of unknowns, both the ones we’re aware of and those we don’t know about yet. Or we can concentrate on the things we know for sure, especially the unwavering truths God gives us in His Word.

I like how the late author Corrie ten Boom expressed it. In her book, The Hiding Place, she tells about the horrors of World War II, and how she and her family provided refuge for many Jews in the Netherlands, sheltering them from the Nazis and the Holocaust. Corrie’s faith in Christ sustained her during that time, causing her to later write, “Never be afraid to commit an unknown future to a known God.”