DAY 282

BE NOT ANXIOUS

Isaiah 30 & 31 and Philippians 4

Try and imagine what the people of Judah are facing. Assyria is on the move. They have defeated everyone and they are on a steady march to defeat Judah. We read about this in 2^nd Kings. We read how they came and taunted Judah. Hezekiah, through Isaiah’s council trusted in the Lord, but it was not easy, and at this moment “he caved.” What do you do when you get anxious? Anxiety can lead to all sorts of actions—some good and some not so good. Who do you put your trust in…an anxious Hezekiah with his back to the wall decides to trust Egypt…God, through Isaiah, thinks otherwise.

I do not want to minimize the situation. Hezekiah is not just merely worried about a small matter; he is worried about his country facing extinction. This is “gut check” time. We face similar situations. So what do we do? The answer is found in both the Old and New Testament readings for today. First, we need to trust in the Lord. The end of chapter 30 speaks of God’s grace. Next, we need to take a look in the mirror and ask what we might need to repent of; chapter 31 speaks to this situation. Paul sets a similar tone when he says to not be anxious, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. The challenge for me is to accept that this is the most important thing to do…to pray. I like taking action. I like organizing, planning, and more. The Bible says pray—and for me I need to pray first.

When I do, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your (my) hearts and your (my) minds in Christ Jesus. Prayer lowers anxiety! Beyond lower anxiety it centers us, moves us, off ourselves and to God. It is too easy for me to say “pray and it will all be better.” We know that people pray and sometimes their request is answered with a “no.” We know that sometimes really horrible things happen and it will not be until much later that we might understand God’s workings. As I explained this to someone that interrupted and said, “So you are admitting prayer does not work!” I quickly answered “I am not admitting that at all. What I am offering is that prayer moves us off our issue as the central issue, and moves us to putting God in the center.” It is why we read, “8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Imagine if Hezekiah did this…imagine if we did this…what might it mean for our lives. Right now what are you anxious about? Right now what situation in your life has you scrambling? Would you like the “peace of God” to wash over you—then the New Testament suggests you start with prayer.