I have struggled with anxiety my whole life. Some of it was attributed to my environment. Some of it could be hereditary. A lot of it was self-induced due to my excessive alcohol and drug usage. Since becoming a Christian, I find that my anxiety is mostly self-induced due to my lack of trust in God.
I have enjoyed meditating on 1 Peter 5:6-7 for the last week. I just did not realize why Peter would tell the already-anxious, persecuted Christians on the run to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. To some, that may sound a tad bit oppressive but I assure you it is not.
Let me give you the entire verses so we can discuss further.
1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.
Do you believe in a Creator?
Well that was random Debbie, you might find yourself saying…but it’s not. Do you believe in the Creator who spoke the world into existence? A Creator who knit you together in your momma’s womb (and she thought you were her idea LOL). A Creator who is the author of the air we breathe. The reason we live.
Now that’s a pretty big deal but let’s go even bigger. Do you believe in THE ONE described in Revelation who sits on the throne with an appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. How do you describe in words the majesty of God?
From the throne came flashes of lightening, and rumblings and peals of thunder. (Read more of this in chapter 4). There are four living creatures described in detail that worship God day and night and never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
And when they give glory and honor and thanks to Him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders fall down before God and worship Him, casting their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Whew! I shortened it a bit but this scene describes such majesty. His splendor is terrifying. I have no doubt in my mind that ANY of us would fall on our faces before our Creator.
Do you believe in our Creator? “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
THIS is our Father. Do you know how much He loves you? He made you for crying out loud. He sent His Son to die for our sins once for all and He raised Him from the dead so that we could have a relationship with our Father…FOREVER!
So, what’s up with the “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God…” Is He being oppressive? I say no. And not only that, He even tells us how to humble ourselves by casting all our anxieties on Him. Why? Because He cares for you and me.
How is humility and anxiety connected?
When we humble ourselves and cast our anxieties on Him, we are ultimately saying “I trust you Father.” I believe you are good forever and ever. I believe you really do care for me. Not only that but you will be with me in my anxiety as I learn more and more each day to trust you wholeheartedly.
I am a fixer…some might say a control freak. Not all of that it my fault. It was a gift in my younger years but now, as an adult, it has become a problem. When I take matters into my own hands, I’m basically saying…I don’t need you Lord…I got this and, it’s funny-sad, because I never do! To date, I have never been right about “I got this.”
So, let’s get practical for a moment. First, I want you to know that this is a huge area of struggle for me. Important to know, I am not an expert but I know THE ONE who is and He is growing me and showing me how to live more like Jesus. I’ve never known anyone so patient and loving with me like our Father.
Let’s take this dreaded COVID19. I’m a germaphobe to start with so just imagine my anxiety when this hit the WORLD. You can just imagine the “what ifs” and worse case scenarios that played out in my head.
SIDE NOTE: I want to take this time to thank the media for being so gracious to add to my anxiety and I’d like to thank the world for just letting your mouths rip and roar like we are wild animals, mauling people to death with our words. (Please stop).
Back to my point, I can what-if and worry myself to death and it won’t change a thing for anyone. I have been practicing STOPPING the worry/anxiety/speculation train and bringing myself back to the present moment.
When I have done that, I imagine my Creator (as stated above). I remind myself how much He cares for me and He is jealous for my love and trust in Him. He’s not a magician. Of course, He could just say the word and our anxiety could just go away…but then what? Thanx Lord…Talk to you later. See ya when I have another anxiety attack.
He wants you to call on Him because you love and trust Him and He wants to be with you through the storm. I have had to let go of my expectations of what things are supposed to look like and I’ve also had to let go of my “why” questions. I don’t know why people are dying and sick except that this is not our home and He never wanted this for us.
I practice focusing on my breathing and just saying “Jesus.” I don’t care if you think I’m weird…this has been decreasing my anxiety so much.
While I breath, I thank Him for that breath and then I preach the Gospel to my own heart (realizing Easter is this Sunday and I’m writing this)(Yay me!)(LOL).
Live in the moment you have right now. Thank Him for it. What is going on in your head right now that you can cast on Him and enjoy being in what your moment looks like? I pray for God’s presence to be with you if things are not going like you expected…but can you trust Our Creator in this moment…no matter what?
I do not make light of any situation that has gone bad…I have had many of those situations and, in the moment, it feels horrible and nothing seems right. But Jesus is still there. He always cares.
I encourage you to write down your anxieties and worries. What has got you so twisted up on the inside? Who are you having imaginary conversations with in your head over and over again.
Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God…casting all your anxieties on Him…
Turn that list into PRAYER, casting each worry/anxiety on Him because He truly does care for you.
Do you need someone to walk with you and help you sort through your thoughts and feelings and make a plan for moving forward?
I am a certified Christian life coach and I would be honored to do that with you. Feel free to contact me at debbieutz@gmail.com or on Facebook at A New Life Journey.
Bless you sweet peeps. I loves you all.