Psalm 94:19, “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Thy consolations delight my soul” (NASB), came to mind when I asked a client recently if she had any prayer needs. After hesitating, she said, “I’m feeling anxious.” I had heard others express these same feelings. It seems many of us are feeling anxious these days. It can be difficult not to feel anxious, fearful, and worried.
As Christians, I think we confuse our feelings and deep emotions with a lack of trust in God. That is a mistake. We are created in the image of God and having deep emotions is a reflection of His image. Feelings of sadness, worry, and fear are human emotions given to us by our heavenly Father. Jesus wept at the tomb of His friend Lazarus, even though He knew Lazarus would be coming out of the tomb. When Jesus faced the cross, He asked His Father, "Is there any other way?” Scripture says He was grieved and distressed to the point of sweating drops of blood as He prayed at the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus expressed sorrow and disappointment when the disciples fell asleep after asking His friends three times to keep watch as He prayed.
The Psalms are filled with King David's emotions as he expressed fear, worry, and sorrow as well as great joy, trust, and love for the Lord. Emotions are not a lack of spirituality or evidence of not trusting God. He is perfectly comfortable with our range of feelings. His purpose for our discomfort is to lead us to the only source of real comfort, His Son Jesus.
When we pour out our hearts to the Lord, the promise is not that we will receive the answers we want when we want them. The promise is that His peace, which is beyond our comprehension, will guard our hearts and minds.
I am a worrier by nature. It took me years to realize my worry had become an idol. I held on to it because it was comfortable, like an old sweater with holes in it that no longer kept me warm, but I couldn't give it up. I let worry take over when I didn’t know what the future held. I had memorized Phil. 4:6-7: “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."
My emphasis had always been "presenting my requests to God." One day in prayer, I realized this was not where my focus should be. When we pour out our hearts to the Lord, the promise is not that we will receive the answers we want when we want them. The promise is that His peace, which is beyond our comprehension, will guard our hearts and minds. The Greek word for "guard" is phroureō, which means to hold in custody, preserve, and protect. God is protecting and preserving my heart when I pour out my concerns and offer thanksgiving, even if it is a sacrificial offering. Once I realized God wasn’t judging my worry, but He understood it, I had the courage to give it to Him. Courage is an intentional decision. It is not a feeling.
When I acknowledge feelings of heartache and sadness, yield them to the One who sees me, whose hand I hold and who holds mine, I am comforted. Trusting God is not the absence of feelings; it's taking my feelings, whatever they are, to Him, and laying them at the foot of the cross. My spiritual well-being is dependent on my reliance on Jesus, not just once but over and over again. He is the constant; the beginning and the end, the unchangeable One.
“ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word" (2 Thess. 2:16-17).
