Guest Author - LeeAnn Bonds
I have suffered private anxieties I would never share with anyone. I’m guessing you have, too. You know the kind of thing I mean. Those fears that bloom up in your mind when you wake at three o’clock in the morning: is my daughter sleeping with that boy? How am I going to pay the credit card bill? Is my spouse cheating on me? That check is going to bounce. I'm afraid my son is doing drugs. What if the boss finds out what I did, et cetera ad nauseum. So much for sleep.
God knows about our fears and anxieties. He knows that fear is poisonous to the soul. The book of Job in the Old Testament tells the story of a righteous man plagued by fear. Though God had blessed him with children and an abundance of possessions, Job was anxious. He did everything he could to ensure that his physical blessings were safe and that he and his family were right with God, but underneath it all he knew he did not have the power to make everything stay okay. He was afraid.
In chapter three, at the end of Job’s first lament, he says that “the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.” What? Job had all those grown children, glowing health, righteousness and immense wealth, and all along he was dreading some catastrophe. He was riddled with private anxieties. In his deepest heart, Job loved his stuff and his status quo and did not trust God to let him keep it.
You might say Job was right not to trust God, because look what happened. God allowed Satan to destroy everything Job had, even his body. But since God created everything, He owns everything, so may do as He wishes with any and every little thing. The key to peace of mind and heart is to recognize this, and yield to Him.
We Americans, especially, bridle at the thought. James T. Kirk never gave in! John Wayne wouldn’t just submit. Americans always figure out a way to conquer the most powerful enemies with their bravery and cleverness. And yes, we are enemies of God in our natural state. But regardless of the bogus bill of goods Hollywood has sold us over the years, we can’t beat God. The most we can do is reject Him. When we do that we create the illusion of winning, but anxiety plagues us, fear wakes us in the night, and the illusion crumbles eventually. The good news is that yielding to God is an excellent plan, leading to peace instead of anxiety, boldness instead of fear, and deep joy that endures irrespective of the state of our health or our wealth.
Unlike the ridiculous gods that men make up, the real God is just and merciful and patient. He loves us. He loves us so much that He’s not interested overmuch in our creature comforts, but is set on preparing us for eternal intimacy with Him in a Heaven of unimaginable adventure and joy. If He knows that allowing some great tragedy into my life will lead me to cast all my cares on Him and draw closer to Him day by day, moment by moment, He may allow that tragedy. It’s temporary. Even a lifelong disaster can last only eighty or so years—a drop in the ocean of eternity.
If in your deepest heart you love your stuff and your status more than anything, admit it. Pour out your private anxieties to God. You have a Confidant who is omniscient and omnipotent. He knows you better than you know yourself, and He urges you to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Once you know the wretched state of your mind and heart, He can heal you, give you a new heart, and dwell in you. He says “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Then you really will be able to conquer your most powerful enemies, because God will be fighting your battles for you. Victory might not look like you expect it to look, but you never know. Job ended up with twice as much as he had lost, including ten more children! After 140 more years Job died, old and full of days, and fully prepared to spend a glorious eternity face to face with God.
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