Recently I visited the dentist and when the anesthesia kicked in I began to feel incredibly anxious. There something in the anesthesia that normally gets my heart racing but with this particular appointment I couldn’t gain control. My hands began to shake, my feet couldn’t stay still and my mind began to fill with worries. The dentist hurried through and as we ended the appointment I sat in the chair feeling defeated. I couldn’t control my body’s response to the medicine and I was aggravated.
Thankfully, the the anesthesia wore off I began to feel in control again and the anxiety was just a temporary side effect.
But it made me think about when we allow regular daily situations to cause that same type of anxiety? We all have those times when our minds are consumed and filled with life’s worries and concerns, so much so that we begin to worry and forget that we have a God to turn to for help.
When that type of anxiety settles in it strips you of your control. You lose the ability to see the answer or the end to the situation and all you can do is worry about the present.
This mindset is not what God has in mind for us. The Word of God says in Philipians 4:6-7:
Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus. (NKJV)
This means we shouldn’t be anxious and filled with worry. God knows we will experience that feeling but he promises that He has peace that we can’t understand. He wants us to experience that peace. We can’t have it though if we are fixated on our problem, unwilling to let it go.
We are in a world that is spinning out of control and just reflecting on it for a few minutes can easily fill your life with worry. There is turmoil, sickness, misery, and sadness and sometimes it even directly touches our lives. Peace seems so hard to get but our God is right there, ready to give it to us.
The only way we can get that peace of mind and peace in our lives is to turn to God, give Him our worries and allow Him to show us peace that we cannot create ourselves.
We have to decide that the anxiety and worry that has taken over our minds is not worth the stress it causes. We have to want the beautiful peace that only He is.