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Anxiety

 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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 4:5-7)


Last night, an hour or two after I went to bed, I was awake, anxious, with restless leg syndrome, and all the usual achy muscles aching. I dealt with it by taking appropriate medications and praying. I wasn’t anxious about something. It’s like someone turned on a radio set between stations. There was static – noise, not content. This morning, I find myself anxious in a different way. It’s like a hangover – anxiety about anxiety. I’m praying for the wisdom to handle it better if it happens again. But if you read what I’ve said so far today again, you’re likely to reach the conclusion that I handled it well, or well enough. That’s the hangover.

And so, today’s passage. Be anxious for nothing. Nothing. Not even anxiety. But what happens when your body sets off anxiety alarms in the middle of the night? What about when the lover you thought you’d spend your life with walks out? What about COVID-19? What about …?

In every situation, including night attacks, hang-overs therefrom, lost lovers, COVID-19, and everything else…

By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving…This is the battle plan. We tend to like to think of spiritual warfare as fighting against Satan and his demons, but it is more. It is also overcoming the surge of energy in our hearts and minds that spins out of control wordlessly.

Present your requests to God… release, victory, wisdom, com/fort (with/strength), strength… It’s a battle. Is your goal to remain weak? Or is your goal victory. We are weak. He is strong, and therefore we are strong. Turn the dial from static or the songs of defeat. Focus on the One who is victorious. It probably won’t be easy.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. The end of the story from last night was that I fell asleep proclaiming God as God. And this morning, I’m listening to worship music to gently guide my thoughts in a direction that will use some of that energy, but to my purposes.

 

Lord, teach us how to do battle in the night watches, and in the morning as we rise.

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