pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: anxious


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Surrender All in Prayer

Reading: Philippians 4:4-9

Philippians 4:6 – “Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all your requests to God in your prayers… along with giving thanks.”

Our words today come from a section titled “Stand firm in the Lord.” Paul encourages us to be people who are faithful in all moments in life. He writes twice in the opening verse, “Be glad!” Allow the joy we find in Christ to be evident in our lives. Be that something different that others notice. Paul then encourages us to be gentle in how we treat all people. This includes ourselves. This too will be noticed by others.

In verse 6 we read, “Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all your requests to God in your prayers… along with giving thanks.” There will certainly be times when anxiety (and fear, doubt, worry, stress…) are present in our lives. An unwanted change, an unexpected loss, an unwelcome diagnosis, an unwarranted injustice will happen. This is life. In these moments, Paul reminds us, we have a choice: anxiety… or take it to the Lord in prayer. Bring our anxiety or our whatever to God, surrender that feeling to God, and God will bring us a peace that comes from beyond ourselves. Paul also reminds us to ever be thankful. When we thank God for other times when God brought us peace… in the past, then we are assured that our compassionate and loving God will bring us peace… once again.

Continuing, Paul invites us to focus on all that is excellent and admirable – all that is true, holy, just, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise. In other words, focus on Jesus and on the gifts that come through our relationship with him. And, Paul says, if you need a more present reminder, remember what Paul and his fellow ministers taught and lived out. Like these faithful men and women, when we live faithfully, when we trust into God’s presence, when we surrender all to God in prayer, then God’s peace will be with us. May it be so!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the peace that comes when we enter your presence and surrender to you our anxiety and other emotions that can separate us from you and from others. Fill us with your peace that passes understanding so that we can walk with you through all that life throws our way. And even in the midst of the trials and struggles, remind us to be grateful and gentle, just as you are with us. Amen.


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A Safe and Sacred Space

Reading: Philippians 4:4-7

Philippians 4:6 – “Bring up all your requests to God in prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks.”

Photo credit: Alex Woods

Our passage today begins with Paul encouraging the Philippians to be glad in the Lord and to let this internal feeling overflow into how they treat others. For Paul, his joy or gladness comes from the trust and faith that he has in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. For Paul, being joyful leads to gentleness. In turn, this heart condition will show through in how one treats others. Likewise, when one is grumpy or unhappy, one tends to be short or harsh with others. Because God is near to Paul, he finds joy and gentleness in ample supply. The same can be true for us.

Paul’s trust and faith leads him to write to the Philippians, “Don’t be anxious about anything.” He is inviting them into the space that he finds when he makes the effort and the choice to trust God. Offering a way to counter the anxious feelings (and the doubt, fear, worry…) Paul tells them, “Bring up all your requests to God in prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks.” In moments of need, pray! Pray to God, Paul advises. In prayer we draw near to God. Drawing near to God, laying our prayers before God, we receive a peace from God. As Paul shares, it is a peace “that exceeds all understanding.”

Offering up our prayers and petitions – along with our thanksgiving – places our trust, our concerns, our very selves in God’s presence and care. In this place, we are kept safe, heart and mind, surrounded by God’s love. May we ever draw close, entering into a safe and sacred space through prayer.

Prayer: Lord God, call us again and again to the safe space of prayer. Entering into your divine presence, fill us with joy, gladness, faith, and trust. Help us to release our worries and doubts, our fears and anxieties. Bring us to a place of assurance, knowing that your love and care are greater than anything that the world can bring our way. Thank you Lord. Amen.


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A Disciplined Life

Reading: 2nd Thessalonians 1-3

2nd Thessalonians 3:3 – “The Lord is faithful and will give you strength and protect you from the evil one.”

Photo credit: Aaron Burden

Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians continues to address the second coming of the Lord. They have become anxious because false teachers said the day has already come. Paul provides more details about the day’s approach. Satan will rise up as “the person who is lawless.” They will be in the temple and will deceive many people with fake signs and wonders. Then the Lord Jesus will come and will destroy the deceiver “with his breath.” Paul is telling the Thessalonians that the signs will be unmistakable. It will not be possible to miss the day or the events leading up to the day of the Lord.

Paul also offers prayers and thanksgiving for their faithful and holy living. He recognizes that they’ve been harassed and have suffered for their faith. Paul reminds them that on the day of the Lord, God will harshly judge those who refuse to obey the good news of Jesus Christ. The apostle is grateful that God chose the Thessalonians through this good news. He encourages them to “stand firm” and to hold onto what they were taught.

Offering and requesting prayer, Paul tells the Thessalonican church, “The Lord is faithful and will give you strength and protect you from the evil one.” He prays that they would be led to have hearts filled with “God’s love and Christ’s endurance.” Paul closes with a few more words on living a disciplined life, a holy and faithful life. He reminds them of his example of effort and hard work. He was not a burden to anyone. Some are idle and are meddling. He commands these to follow his example, earning a living, putting food on their own table. The letter closes with a blessing of peace and grace. May these words and this blessing guide our walk of faith too.

Prayer: Lord God, lead and guide us to walk faithfully each day. Strengthen and encourage us in those times of suffering. Grow our faith and trust in you as we experience your presence and power in our lives. Empower us to stand firm and to be sharers of the good news. Amen.


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From One Degree to the Next

Reading: 2nd Corinthians 1-3

2nd Corinthians 2:16 – “We smell like a contagious dead person to those who are dying, but we smell like the fountain of life to those who are being saved.”

Today we begin Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church. It was written about 18 months after his first letter, written on the heels of a humiliating personal experience in Corinth. Of his 13 letters, this is Paul’s most personal letter. He wants to reestablish his place of authority as an apostle and he wants to restore his relationship with the church.

Chapter 1 begins with a declaration that God is the God who comforts us. God does this so that we can comfort others. We share in Christ’s suffering too. Paul speaks of the troubles “far beyond our strength” that God rescued them from in Asia. Because of this rescue, Paul and his companions have set their hope on God.

Paul then speaks of their conduct. It has been with “godly sincerity and pure motives.” They desire for the Corinthians to more fully understand their own faith. Paul wants to visit again, but has delayed the visit. He did not want to visit when still so upset. In fact, he wrote in tears with an “anxious and troubled heart.” Even so, he asks the church in Corinth to forgive and comfort the one who humiliated Paul. He states that he is testing them with this request – “to see if you are obedient.”

Next Paul talks of his ministry. He notes that it is like “the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ.” It goes before then and “We smell like a contagious dead person to those who are dying, but we smell like the fountain of life to those who are being saved.” This is a powerful thought and image. It begs the question: What does our life and ministry smell like to others?

Chapter 3 connects the church to Paul. They are the letters of Christ, the fruit of his ministry. Christ is written on their hearts by the Holy Spirit. They represent the new covenant, established by Jesus, sustained by the Spirit. Daily they are being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, “from one degree of glory to the next.” What a thought! May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, at times we receive comfort and at times we give comfort. At times we suffer and this equips us to comfort others in their suffering. We daily seek to write Christ more and more upon our hearts, deepening our faith and hope. As we do so, God, transform us more and more into the image of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.


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Are You Willing?

Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Photo credit: Kyle Johnson

In Psalm 139 David comes to the Lord and first recognizes that God is everywhere and that God knows all about David’s life. He recognizes that there is absolutely nowhere to hide from God. We’ll dive deeper into these thoughts on Sunday morning as we turn again to Psalm 139. But for today, we start at the end of the Psalm. Maybe these thoughts are what led David to write the Psalm. Sometimes we do begin at the end and work our way back towards the beginning.

In our two verses for today David invites God to take a deep dive into his heart. It is a brave invitation to make. Here are the main actions: “Search me, God, and know my heart… See if there is any offensive way in me.” To be honest, there are some thoughts that I’d rather like to keep hidden from God. And once in a while I even pretend that God doesn’t know about this or that thought. Maybe you go there too. And once in a great while something unexpected pops up – out of the blue. But these thoughts don’t come from nowhere. The subconscious has a way of working itself to the surface.

In these two simple verses David is inviting God into all of this. Not just into our anxious thoughts and offensive ways but into all of it. God is being invited into the selfishness, the pride, the anger, the self-esteem, the jealousy, the addictions and compulsions… Inviting a deep dive by God is an admission that one wants a deeper relationship with God. Is that your desire? Will you pray these verses to God?

Prayer: Lord God, give me the courage to go to this depth of transparency and honesty with you. Open wide those things that I think I have hidden in the innermost closets. Walk with me through this hard journey and strip away all that is not of you. Thank you. Amen.


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Ever by Our Side

Reading: Psalm 23

Verse 1: “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

Photo credit: Felipe Correia

We return to Psalm 23 today. This is something we do again and again. These words are powerful. We recite these words at many funerals – a reminder that God is always with us. We recite these words in our minds when we are not sure of the next step to take in life – a reminder to ourselves that the Good Shepherd will guide and protect. We pray these words in our hearts – reminding ourselves that the Lord will be our still waters in moments of anxiousness or doubt. We offer these words as a plea – an assurance that the guardian of our soul will meet our every need. And we offer these words as a prayer of thanksgiving, remembering again and again how God is with us in all of life. With these words we rejoice in the Lord.

Today I invite you to an exercise. It won’t take too long. Take a little time to pray your way through the Psalm. Reopen your Bible or click on the link above. Pray through one phrase at a time. Not one verse – that is too much. Begin with “The Lord is my shepherd.” Offer words to God around this phrase. It may be words of praise. It may be a request. It may be gratitude or realization. Allow the Spirit to lead you. Then go on to “I lack nothing.” Take your time. Be with the Lord a while…

What a powerful reminder this exercise was for me. God is with me in so many ways. God brings so much to my daily walk and to my life. The Lord is ever by our side. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for this time today with this amazing Psalm. Draw me back to these words again and again – not only in moments of need but also in times of joy and thanksgiving. You are present in all of life, in every moment. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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All My Days

Reading: Psalm 27:4-5

Verse 4: “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”

Photo credit: Kyle Johnson

As we focus on Psalm 27 again today, we hone in on two verses. These verses express David’s trust in God and his desire to be with God. For David and for the Jewish people for much of the time covered in the Old Testament, God dwelled in a place. For many years, beginning in Moses’ time, God dwelt in the tabernacle. Then, in Solomon’s day, the temple was built and this became God’s dwelling place. From this frame of understanding David writes, “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” Connection was found in the house of the Lord, be that the tabernacle or the temple. To “be” with God, one went to the house of the Lord.

With the incarnation of Jesus there was a shift in this understanding and in our relationship with God. Yes, today many, myself included, will enter a sanctuary to spend time with God. It is a space filled with the holiness and presence of God. There are many such sanctuaries, some indoors and some outdoors. The shift, though, was that Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, came to us. God in Jesus walked and lived among humanity. This “with us” relationship was continued after his earthly death as Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts. God’s constant presence in our life became an option as our hearts became the new temple of God.

God’s presence, though everywhere, is an option. At times we can and do choose to sit on the throne of our own hearts. We get greedy or selfish or jealous or angry or anxious or doubtful or… and we step in to lead or guide the show. Or, like David, we can choose a better option. We can seek and ask daily, desiring above all else to walk in relationship with God all of our days. God is faithful. God is ever present. The choice is ours. May we daily seek and desire God, the one who is as close as our next heartbeat.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to daily seek your presence. By the power of your Spirit living inside of me, remind me again and again to search you out, to follow your guidance and direction for my life. All my days, may you alone sit on the throne of my heart. Amen.


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“Hear this…”

Reading: Amos 8:1-6

Verse 4: “Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land.”

Photo credit: Nick Sarro

We continue this week with Amos. Last week God used a plumb line to reveal how askew or crooked the Israelites had become. In this week’s reading from Amos 8, God reveals some details. As our passage opens, God shows Amos a basket of fruit. The fruit is ripe, maybe even appealing – at first glance. When one looks closer, however, one can see the rot along the edges. Using this analogy, God says, “The time is ripe for my people; I will spare them no longer.” We all know what happens when you leave rotting fruit in the bowl with good fruit. It will all go bad. It is time to deal with the rot.

In verse 4 God speaks to the rot: “Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land.” The Sabbath is a farce. The powerful go through the motions, anxious for it to end so that they can return to making dishonest profits and to trading on the lives of the poor and needy. Selfishly living they ignored the needs of their brothers and sisters. We too can play these games. I’ve gone to church and spent the whole time thinking about that afternoon or the week ahead. I’ve given the homeless man a granola bar or a bottle of water while tightly clinging to that wad of cash in my pocket.

God declares that their songs will turn to wailing. Bodies will be strewn everywhere. This brings to mind recent images of responses to times when those with power have abused or oppressed those without power. Punishment will surely come for being selfish and ignoring the plight of those on the margins. God will not stand for such evil. What would Amos tell us about how we live and about how we treat those in need around us? How could we better reflect God’s heart for all people?

Prayer: Lord, guide my eyes to look beyond myself. Lead me to be more generous, more willing with all that you’ve blessed me with. Amen.


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Home with God

Reading: Luke 2: 41-52

Verse 48: “Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

Photo credit: Noah Silliman

Today we get a snapshot of Jesus as a teenager. The gospel story fast forwards from toddler to the ministry of Jesus at about 29 or 30 with this one little snapshot along the way. Unknowingly, Mary and Joseph leave Jesus behind in Jerusalem when they begin to head home after the Passover celebration. People and family groups often traveled together for safety and protection. Mary and Joseph must have thought Jesus was with other family or friends as they headed towards Nazareth. It must’ve been at night, after their first day’s journey, as they got ready for bed, that they discovered Jesus was missing.

Imagine the thoughts that ran through Mary and Joseph’s minds! Did he just wander off along the way? Did he fall in with the wrong crowd? Was he wandering the cold streets of Jerusalem all alone, scared and hungry and afraid? In what must have been a hasty return, Mary and Joseph return to the big city. And then spend three days searching for Jesus. Imagine the thoughts that went through their minds after day one! Then on day two? And day three?!

On the third day (no coincidence here), Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the temple courts. He is absolutely fine. As an expression and release of the building worry, Mary asks, “Son, why have you treated us like this?” To explain, she goes on to let Jesus know, “Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” What was lost has been found. In his own defense Jesus tells his earthly parents that he was in his father’s house – right at home. Where else would I be?

Have others ever thought you lost when you were not? Has your faith or trust in God ever been questioned in a difficult time or by those without faith? Our reality is the reality Jesus demonstrates in today’s passage: we are most at home when we are abiding in our with God’s presence. As Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). May it ever be so for you and for me!

Prayer: Lord God, you are my strength when I am weak. You are my joy in moments of difficulty. You are ever my rock and my salvation. Ever draw me home to you. Amen.


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God’s Peace

Reading: Philippians 4: 5-7

Verse 7: “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Photo credit: Ben White

Continuing in Philippians 4 today Paul first encourages us to let our gentleness shine out to all people. Being gentle is a way of being in the world that is noticeably different. The ways of the world are often aggressive, taking, toxic. Being gentle involves empathy, patience, consideration for the other. Being gentle exudes love.

Next Paul instructs us to take all things to God in prayer. He says don’t pause and be anxious first. Take it to God right away. Do not wait until after we’ve tried every solution or answer that we can. Take it to God in prayer right away. And don’t begin by unloading the problem or concern. Don’t just vent to God. Begin with thanksgiving. Start by reminding yourself of all that God has done – rejoice in that. With a heart and mind in the right place bring all the rest to God.

This short passage closes with the “why” – “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” It is something we do not understand. The burdens, the fears, the worries – the weight of that prayer focus – it suddenly feels lighter if not altogether gone. That is what passes our understanding. When we turn it over to God in prayer, God takes the weight off of us. This opens the door for us to trust more deeply in God. There God’s peace guards our hearts and minds. Thanks be to God for the peace that comes through steadfast prayer.

Prayer: Lord God, when I want to just rush on today, slow me down, help me to be kind and gentle with all I meet. Build up my prayer life – I want it to be my first response, my first option. In that place may your peace and love wash over me. Thank you, God. Amen.