(If you are struggling with severe anxiety, that is affecting how you live your life, please seek help. In my post today I am only addressing the general worries of life that are faced by everyone.)

I am a worrier. I worry about everything. Big things and small things. I worry about the future, the present, and the past. The world my kids are growing up in. I lie awake at night worrying if something I said casually offended someone else. Questions like “should I have?” and “what if?” swirl around in my mind, keeping me hostage. I worry that the food I’ve made will not be enough for the guests at home. That my children are having too much screen time. That I’m not making the right choices for my them. That my husband is driving too fast. I worry about the lost shoe, and about the shrinking funds. I worry that I’m not serving others well. That we’re not going out and making family memories. I worry that I’m not doing enough.

You get the drift. I am a worrier.

When I was a child my mother taught me a song that went like this.

Why worry when you can pray.
Trust Jesus, He'll be your stay.
Don't be a doubting Thomas
Trust fully in His promise
Why worry, worry, worry, worry
When you can pray.

I’ve sung this song countless times. Now I’ve taught it to my children. But I still worry…

Over the years God has been speaking to me about my worry. Sometimes, however, I feel like I haven’t made any progress. Why do I keep worrying about something even after I’ve prayed about it? It shouldn’t be this way. It shouldn’t be this hard. But God is patient with me. He continues to mould me, teach me, and give me opportunities to trust Him more.

Worrying is one of those things that everyone does, so we don’t address it. Like gossip, worry is something we know we shouldn’t do, and we’ve read all the “do not worry” verses countless time, but we still do it! Worry is the opposite of trust. If worry says “This is not going to go according to plan,” trust says, “I know God knows best and He will do the best for me.” Worry wears us out as our mind spins out of control, while trust revives us as we rest in the sovereignty of God.

So what CAN we do instead of worry?

I want to share a few things God has been teaching me in my journey to trusting Him more and “casting all my cares on Him.”

Understand that Worry Accomplishes Nothing

Honestly, I’ve come to realize that worrying is an absolute waste of time. It accomplishes nothing. Does it help solve our problem? No. Does it give us peace? No. Rather, worrying is destructive to us in many ways. It drains us of our energy and diminishes our strength. When we worry, we miss out on the present joys and the blessings of God’s provision in our life.

“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matthew 6:27)

NO!

 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. (Matthew 6:28- 29)

Know Him More

What I have found is this: The key to not fearing and not becoming overwhelmed by my worries, is to know God more. Having a correct view of the God of the Bible calms our anxious thoughts and brings us peace. Though the world may tell us differently, God’s word proves to us that God is faithful and trustworthy always. God is holy, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His plans higher than ours. This great God can handle anything we bring to Him. As we know Him as our Best Friend, our Redeemer, our Rock, we will be able to stand strong against the billowing waves of the world.

“His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” (Psalm 1: 2,3)

Remember and Pray

When I’m worried or anxious I love to turn to David’s Psalms. With David, there is no pretense. He opens His heart out to the Lord, worry, complaints and all.

“From the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (Psalm 61:2)

“Search me, O 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.” (Psalm 139: 23-24)

Time and again, when he was anxious, we see David looking back and recounting all that the Lord had done for Him in the past. “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” (Psalm 9:1) To remove the worry from our hearts, we need to solidify our trust in Him. David, when he looked back at God’s faithfulness, was able to trust God fully, even during troubling circumstances. In the same way, when we remember God’s faithfulness and sovereign care for us in the past, it gives us confidence and we are able to trust Him for the present and future. When we look back at our salvation story and how Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross, and remember God’s amazing demonstration of love for us, how can we not trust Him to provide for our littlest needs? When worries overwhelm us, remembering the cross and dwelling on the truth of the gospel calms our hearts and strengthens our faith.

Remembering the past also propels us to pray.  ^“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) Because of Jesus and the cross, we are able to come with confidence to the throne of grace to receive help for our anxieties.

Claim His Promises

Charles Spurgeon said, “Do not treat God’s promises as if they were curiosities for a museum; but believe them and use them.”

On of the best ways for me to overcome anxiety is to remind myself of the unshakeable promises God has made to me in His word. But the only way I can do that is if I know His word. And I can know His word only by reading it and memorizing it. Then, when circumstances are tough and anxiety levels are high, I can turn to these incredible truths.

Joshua 21:45 says, “Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.” Imagine that, not one of God’s promises to Israel failed! And today, not one of His promises toward us fail either!

He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us (Joshua 1:5).

He has promised to care for us when we are anxious. “casting all your anxieties on Him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

He has promised that He will strengthen us and help us. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

May we claim His promises, dear friend. May we write them down and put them up on our walls. May we read His word and memorize it. His promises never fail, so may we use them!

Surrender with Thankfulness

I’ve been guilty on more than one occasion of praying about a problem and then ending up more anxious than before. How is that even possible? Shouldn’t I be at peace after giving my worries over to God? Yes, for sure! But the issue is that often I go through the motions of giving my worries to God without actually leaving them in His hand. Often prayer is a mechanical response when I face a problem. I know I must pray, so I do. But I don’t really surrender it ALL.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

I’ve realized that my surrendering has to be intentional, a daily discipline that I have to repeat over and over. To some, surrender may mean a practice of prayer every time a worry crosses their mind. To others it may mean speaking to a close friend or counsellor. What-ever surrender looks like for you, know that when we are surrendering to God we are telling Him that we are not big enough to deal with our worries. We are asking…no, petitioning God, to take over. When it comes to worry, if we truly let go and let God, we are giving Him room to show His mighty power in our lives. When we are weak and tired, He is strong and powerful. When we are emptied, He fills us.

And just like Paul says in Philippians 4, all this must be done in thanksgiving. When we surrender our worries to God we can shower Him with praises and thanksgiving. When we focus on thanking God, it turns our mind off our worries and fixates it on Him; and His peace which surpasses all understanding, fills our hearts and minds.

Have I surrendered my fears and worries to God? Yes, I do it every day! But by no means can I say that I am now worry-less, but yes, by His grace I am worrying less. Giving up our anxieties to God does not mean we will never worry again. It only means that those worries and fears will not take control of our hearts and minds, because we have given up all control to God.

Dear friend, if you are a worrier like me, know that you are not alone. Know that when you are tired and anxious, you can go to God to find comfort and rest. You can surrender to Him because you have known this great God. You can trust Him as you remember His faithfulness toward you in the past. You can cling to His word and claim His never-failing promises. And you can surrender everything to Him, thanking Him for the cross.

Set your mind on things above, dear friend, and the cares of this world will fade away…

 ^“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. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9