Anxiety crowds out peace
Circumstances, real and imagined, disconnect us from the Prince of Peace. Jesus deserves our attention, reverence and whole-hearted adoration. We need to return to worship.
Ever notice we often skip what we need most?
I quit going to church. Probably not a good idea, but for a season I stayed home on Sunday mornings. Don’t judge me; you can ask me about it later. Now, I am attending a new class with some unfamiliar faces and I don’t sit in my “normal spot” with my usual people in the sanctuary. After twenty years of active membership, I’m tempted to fill out a visitor registration card. Maybe it’s just me, after all, I am different. Now I’m one of those women, you know those women, who cry through the whole service.
The salty waterfall on my face isn’t sadness, God already bottled those tears for me.
Psalm 56:8, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” NLT
The cascade is uncontained emotion, which if you know me, is radically different. It’s an overflow of pure adoration.
John 4:24, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” NKJV
I swipe the trickles sneaking off my chin and down my neck, but otherwise, I let them flow.
Luke 7:38, “As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.” NIV
Prescription for anxiety
Rx: Worship
Fortunately, I wrote hundreds of prescriptions for anxiety for others before it unloaded full-force into the middle of my own chest. If you missed any of the posts in this series on anxiety click: Intro, Part 1, Part 2
WHAT IS WORSHIP?
Technically worship is adoration. Practically it is so much more. For sure it’s not just a designated portion of church service. Thanks to my Facebook followers who helped me describe worship.
Is worship MUSIC?
Ever get a song stuck in your head? Music is a perfect filler for the brain rut that grows deeper with each anxious thought. A melody is a far better place to get stuck than the quicksand of anxiety. Clearly music is part of worship and an effective anecdote for anxiety. Tune into K-Love or download uplifting music on your phone.
Ephesians 5:20, “Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ.” MSG
Is worship PRAYER?
Lately I’ve prayed ugly prayers, not irreverent, just gut-level honest ones, but some prayers worsen anxiety. Yes, you heard me, prayer can actually feed anxiety and fear. Tell me if this sounds familiar:
Dear Lord, please take away my anxiety. Help me not to worry about _____. My fears, my anxieties, my worries, my frustration, my problems., my, my, my…
Prayers focused on me and my problems spotlight me and my problems. Instead of praying about our worries, what if we were captivated by the only One worthy of our attention? In my book on forgiveness, I call it praise therapy.
Psalm 150:2, “Praise him for his mighty acts. Praise him according to his excellent greatness.” ASV
Is worship PRAISE?
Waiting on biopsy results last year, I let the “what ifs” drive me crazy. I prayed for peace about the possible cancer, but still couldn’t sleep. Setting my burden on the front row of my mind all day and through the long nights consumed me with worry. Memorizing and quoting Psalms built faith in my awesome God instead of my concerns. Speaking the names of God out loud, I discovered the refueling power of worship to survive the wait. Finally, I got to know the Lord as a Rock and I learned to breathe.
You will never know God as a Rock, until you need a rock #SolidRock Click To TweetPsalm 18:2, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my mountain where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” HCSB
Worship is LOVE.
No matter what difficulty you are going through, God is in control. Camp in His perfect love while you weather the storms of life that produce anxiety.
Psalm 90:1, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.” ESV
Come let us adore Him!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on worship.
Thank you Vickie for this series on anxiety. I am sharing it with my Sunday School class in preparation for our upcoming study on the same topic.
That’s awesome. Thanks for letting me know
Worship is so much more than sitting in church, singing and listening to a sermon. Worship encompasses our whole life. Anything we do, if done for Him, can be an act of worship. And when we do focus on Him, our anxiety does lessen. Our circumstances might not change, but our perspective can and is an antidote to anxiety.
Blessings to you! I’m your neighbor at the #RaRaLinkup!
So so true. Thanks for stopping by
Dang, I love when you reset my mind to what it really is all about! Thanks, Vickie! This would be a great book.