Moving from Results to Communion

CONSECRATION Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.  Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you.  Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.  SCRIPTURE Philippians 4:4–9 NIV Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 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. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. CONSIDER THIS A couple of years ago, I had a horrible bout of nighttime panic attacks. I would fall asleep and, about fifteen minutes later, I’d wake up trembling and gasping for air, with my heart racing, and in a state of utter terror. It would take me hours to get back to sleep and, at its worst, was happening about five nights a week and went on for months. I did everything I knew to do to alleviate the problem. I shared with close friends and pastors, went to counseling, talked with a doctor, read Scripture before bed, deleted social media, gathered friends to fast and pray with me, developed a nighttime routine to help myself relax, reduced my caffeine intake, and much, much more. During this time, if someone told me to “try praying about it,” I think I would have internally screamed a few choice words and externally left the conversation as quickly as possible (on a good day). I felt like I was in a constant state of prayer, and scriptures like Philippians 4 left me feeling confused and frustrated. I wanted prayer to fix my anxiety. I thought it was a simple formula: A + B = C. “Okay, God, I said my prayers. Now, please slow my heart rate, still my mind, and give me more than four hours of sleep. Thanks!” As I wrestled with what seemed to be a conflict between the promises of Scripture and the reality of my current situation, I discovered prayer is more than a formula for reducing anxiety—it’s an invitation to intimacy. Whenever I had a panic episode, my mind was so scattered I couldn’t think clearly, let alone pray. I slept with a Bible next to my bed and read psalms out loud, shaking, clinging to the promises of God and praying my way through the Scriptures until I fell back asleep. Over time, the episodes started happening less and less and, slowly but surely, they went away altogether. That season of my life was pretty awful and I still struggle to make sense of it. But I do know this: I know God more deeply and am more convinced that He’s the only one who can truly give us peace. Peace didn’t come in the way I expected—immediately after saying the right prayers; it came through intimacy with Him. The promises of His presence became more beautiful and desirable and precious to me. I look back on those moments of pain and am keenly aware of His presence with me. His delay in answering my prayers actually brought a deeper level of healing and restoration in me than had it been immediate. I know the Scriptures in a way I wouldn’t have known them and read them in a way I would not have read them. I now realize that in clinging to the promises of God during those moments, I was also following the exhortation: “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (v. 8). What we think about and how we think about it influences how we live and respond to the world. This is why cognitive behavioral therapy, a common treatment for anxiety, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts, reframing them, and responding to situations more effectively. True, lasting peace comes from the secret place. Peace is ultimately a fruit of the spirit which comes to bear through an abiding life with God. Prayer isn’t a quick fix to deal with our fear or anxiety; it’s a lifeline that fuels abiding and brings us into awareness of the presence of God with us. In prayer, we surrender control, embrace our own limitations, and declare our dependence on and need for God. This is why we are exhorted to pray when faced with anxiety. Not for instant results or solutions, but for deep communion with the one who Himself is peace. Not so we can experience a feeling of peace momentarily, but come to know peace personally. Peace is not found in the absence of anxiety, but in the presence of God. RESPONSE PROMPTS How does the perspective that prayer is less about solving problems or quick solutions and more about deepening intimacy with God change your understanding of prayer? What helps you fix your mind on what is true, noble, and lovely? What would it look like for you to do that right now? Is there any concern or anxiety you would like to bring to God in prayer? PRAYER Father, thank You for Your nearness. I bring any anxiety I’m carrying to You, and I release it. I ask that I would come to know You more deeply, and be more aware of Your presence with me. I receive Your peace. Help me to fix my mind on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. Amen.