Saturday, April 18, 2020

A Biblical Prescription for Troubled Times ~ Guest Post by Annie Dahlin

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.  The Lord is at hand; 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.
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.”
Philippians 4:4-8


I have always been a bit of a worrier.  If there were a queen of worry, I’d probably be it.  Even before COVID-19 completely turned our world upside down there was plenty I was tempted to worry about.  All of us have been affected by COVID-19 in one way or another.  If you have been feeling anxious and worried during this crazy time, you are not alone, sweet friend. 

During my morning quiet times I had been praying for the Lord to help me conquer my worry and anxiety.  I know He tells us not to worry and be anxious, but I was really struggling with how to put that into practice.  I started reading verses in scripture about worry and anxiety and there are quite a few.  Even in the Psalms we are told not to fret.  In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we are told to take every thought captive.  But HOW do we control our anxious thoughts when they are are running around in our head like a pack of wild hyenas that can’t be tamed?! Philippians 4:4-8 tells us! 

First, we are told to rejoice. And not only are we to rejoice, we are to rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS.  It doesn’t say rejoice in the Lord only when times are good.  We are to rejoice when things are hard.  I know for me, when I choose to rejoice and focus on all the Lord has done for me, even when times are hard, it helps my heart to not be so anxious.  

Second, we are told to pray and pray with thanksgiving.   God wants us to bring our worries and troubles to Him.  He wants us to come to Him with our needs.  But we are to come to Him with grateful hearts for all He has already done for us.  I know for me, when I am focusing on all the things the Lord has done for me and given me, my anxious heart starts to calm down.  When we bring our worried hearts to the Lord in prayer and thanksgiving, He calms our fears and gives us peace.  He doesn’t promise to take away what is troubling us, but He does promise to give us peace and it really is peace that passes all understanding.

Third, we are told to think on what is true.  A sweet friend of mine calls Philippians 4:8 the Bible’s prescription for good mental health, and I couldn’t agree more.  So, what is true?  The Word of God is truth.  We need to be filling our minds with the truth of God’s Word.  If we neglect reading the Bible, then we are leaving our hearts and minds wide open for anything and everything to get inside that might not be true.  

Also, thinking on what is true means we aren’t worrying and fretting about tomorrow.  In Matthew 6:34 Jesus tells us to not be anxious about tomorrow.  Our “what ifs” about tomorrow aren’t true because tomorrow hasn’t come yet.  Today is what is true.  Today is what the Lord gives us grace for, and when tomorrow arrives, He will give us grace for tomorrow.  

Focus on what is true about today.  Today all the bills are paid, today we have a roof over our heads, today we have plenty of food in the fridge and pantry, today there is gas in the gas tank, today we have our health, etc., etc., etc.,… and tomorrow, if any of those things change, we will bring our need to Him with thanksgiving. 

So, sweet friend, when your heart is anxious, and you feel like your world is caving in I encourage you:

REJOICE
PRAY and bring your worries and needs to Him WITH THANKSGIVING. 
FILL YOUR MIND WITH THE TRUTH of God’s Word and choose to not fret over tomorrow            but focus on and be thankful for today.     

Let the peace of God which passes all understanding guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. 
Love,
Annie 

Verses to meditate on when your heart is anxious:
Matthew 6:25-34
Psalm 94:19
Isaiah 41:10
1 Peter 5:6-7
2 Timothy 1:7

Bio:  I live in beautiful North Idaho with my husband and 10-year-old son.  I love Jesus and am thankful everyday for his grace in my life.  I love the mountains, hiking, camping, gardening and just being outside in general.  When I’m inside I love cooking, baking, sewing, crocheting, blogging and basically anything crafty.  








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Such wonderful, comforting wisdom for us all to apply to our anxious hearts in these distressing times.
Please visit Annie's blog at Growing in Grace where you will find sweet encouragement, recipes, and beautiful stories about Annie's everyday life.  You can also connect with Annie on Instagram.


He Will Hold Me Fast ~ Keith & Kristyn Getty

May the Lord bless each one of you dear readers.

27 comments:

  1. Annie, what encouragement you've given to all of us here in these troubled times! Rejoice, pray and God's Word - how calming these practices are to keep our anxiety at bay.
    Blessings to you and to Cheryl!

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    1. Oh, Annie's post was so, so encouraging, wasn't it? Sending many blessings back to you, Martha!

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  2. Very encouraging. I also am a worrier, have been most of my whole life, I'm 71, and a widow for 7 1/4 years. Worry is my thorn in the flesh. Makes me aggravated and ashamed. I talk with Jesus about the situations and through prayer and His Word He gives comfort and peace. Thanks for writing/sharing this post.

    FlowerLady

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    1. Thank you for sharing that Lorraine! I can definitely relate to worry being a thorn in the flesh. God knows and understands our weaknesses. His grace is amazing! I am praying for you!

      Love,
      Annie

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    2. I surely understand where you are coming from, too, Lorraine! I am ashamed to even think of the many, many hours of precious life I have wasted by worrying and fretting over things that never even ended up happening! I am so thankful for your sweet visit and kind words. You are such a blessing to us all!

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  3. I am also a worrier and have been as long as I can remember. Thank you for the thoughts you've given us today. I spend a lot of time in prayer these days of isolation. Your my neighbor Annie! I'm in Spokane.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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    1. That is so neat that you and Annie are neighbors, Betsy! It's so wonderful how God is so faithful to intersect our paths with fellow believers!

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  4. Such encouragement I am going to look up some of the verses in the bible now. Uplifting post.

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    1. I have those verses written down on little recipe cards and they live on my coffee table. I try to remember to pick them up and read them several times a day. :)

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    2. Annie's words truly are SO uplifting to us all. What a blessing she is!

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  5. The Lord doesn't just tell us not to worry and leave it at that. He gives us help and guidance and provides a way through. Thank you Annie for reminding us of these precious truths.

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    1. Thank you Deborah! God is so good!

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    2. Thank you for your sweet visit and kind words, sweet friend! Many blessings to you today!

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  6. I love the idea of Philippians 4:8 as a prescription for good mental health, Annie! I will tell that to my daughter who practices nursing in Behavioral Health. She will love that, especially now. Thanks, Cheryl, for all you do to encourage us with these wonderful posts.

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    1. Yes! It was my pastor's wife way back when I was in high school who called it that and I have never forgotten it! :)

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    2. Thank you, dear Mary, for your support, encouragement, and friendship! God bless you!

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  7. Here is another bit of wisdom and comfort..Oh how good God is to hold Us Fast in the worst of the battles..I love Him so much..Thanks for the good post..Pray for Me..Love Elaine

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    1. Thank you Elaine! I am praying for you!

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    2. YES! He holds us fast in the palm of His hand, and no man can pluck us out of it. How great is our God! Praying for you and sending love to you today.

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  8. A beautiful post Annie... Truly our thoughts can get the best of us at times. I've found the best prescription, as you wrote, is to stop the worries, and turn my fear to praise. It does also help to look back at what God has done in the past, it gives me faith and peace for today, and for tomorrow. I love the verse you chose to share. Praise and worship transforms the worried heart into peace. Beautiful words you shared, may the blessings of the Lord be with you!

    Blessings to you sweet Cheryl, I love this song by the Getty's. Beautiful! Thankful that He will hold me fast! Much love to you!

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    1. I love this song by the Getty's, too! They have been doing some at-home sing-alongs with their four precious little girls. I have been gleaning so much encouragement from their youtube channel, in case you want to check it out. Much love and many blessings being sent back to you today, my dear friend!

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  9. Emjoyed this post so much. Very encouraging. I have a dear friend that surely needs to read this and will sending it to her. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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    1. Oh, thank you for sending it on to your friend, Cindy! We all need encouragement right now and surely need to be constantly reminded to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He is our only hope!

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  10. I lean toward anxiety by nature. I have to keep reminding myself that I am not in control but God is. That helps me take one day at a time. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. It seems anxiety is "default mode" for so many of us. So thankful we are not alone in our struggles, Lisa!

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