Tagged: anxiety

  The gloom will be dispelled for those who were anxious. Isaiah 9:1 Gloom is defined by the Collins Dictionary as “a state of near darkness” or “a feeling of sadness or lack of hope.” It’s hard to see during the gloomy hour just before nightfall. Details are blurry. Lines on the road seem to disappear. People look like shadows, and it takes extra effort to focus.  Anxiety can have the same effect, pitching us into a state of near darkness, flooding us with sadness, and diminishing hope. It’s hard to see clearly when our minds and hearts grow dim with anxiety. In the gloom, we are more likely to cross boundaries or let someone else cross ours. We might bump into someone and cause… Read More

Prudence: wisdom in practical matters. Then Daniel spoke with prudent counsel to Arioch, who was in charge of the king’s executioners and who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. Daniel 2:14 Prudence perceives practical in the midst of panic. King Nebuchadnezzar’s entire court was in a panic because no one could interpret the king’s dream. He issued and put Arioch in charge. As the king’s executioner, Arioch came to deliver the sinister news: even Daniel and his three wise friends were in line for execution. Instead of reacting in terror, Daniel kept his head, so to speak. He was sober, alert, and patient. He listened carefully and heard the heart of the matter beneath the hullabaloo: The king was terrified. A calm person brings comfort… Read More

Thank you, JS, for helping me recognize it was His roar I heard. For helping me put my sword down and worship. Two Lions   I heard the lion roaring; His terrible strength Keeping me from sleep.   I trembled at my window; Peering into night; Aware of his hunger.   My sword hangs at my side; My armor scratched and dull-- Second skin.   I have lived ready, Alert, On guard these long years.   I know he wants to devour me.   But I resist; And I remember my family around the world who also suffer. I am not alone.   As I strain to see his position, A voice like silver Shimmers in my ear,   There is another Lion.   The… Read More

[caption id="attachment_4106" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!  Psalm 84:3-4[/caption] Be quiet, O heart, O stubborn heart! Cease your troubled thunder.   Hush now, heart, Compose yourself,   Discern the song of silence.   Can you hear the tinkling melody of swallows? The birds are not worried.   Among the olive trees They dance; Upon branches sparkling with diamond raindrops They drink  Water from heaven.   To and fro,  They journey; With songs of gratitude They delight  In the food that is given.   The doves… Read More

Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted. Be still, and know that I am God. Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God? He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established. -Isaiah 7:4, Psalm 46:10, John 11:40, Psalm 112:7-8 “He will be fine,” said the innkeeper, “Mothers always worry the most.” You don’t know our story, I thought wearily as I set my luggage down. Five hours and three hundred miles earlier I’d been sitting in a parking lot, immobilized. Unable to leave my youngest son behind until I’d made a decision. Would I trust the Lord? After a… Read More

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.Psalm 139:23 We are anxious about everything, it would seem.  Today on the Culture Translator, I was introduced to the latest anxiety trend among Generation Z: “eco-anxiety.” Stemming from the belief that there is currently a climate crisis, eco-anxiety is causing a majority of 18-25 year-olds to worry about what will happen in the future. Before you judge Generation Z, stop and evaluate what has your heart racing these days. What makes you worry about the future? How do we know what is really worthy of adrenaline-producing, cortisol-throbbing anxiety?  We have a little saying in our house when stress begins to shake us: “Is it an ant, or an elephant?” And like… Read More

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.Psalm 34:4 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.Psalm 56:3 The incessant rise and fall of drum rhythms pounded through the inky blackness, creating a sense of desperation, terror and pending doom in our East African village. Men, women, and children danced around the large fire in the middle of the compound, their undulating forms casting eery shadows along the rough surface of our whitewashed mud house. Local witch doctors called out to the spirits, shaking rectangular percussions made out of thin bamboo and filled with the bright red and black seeds of the tassel tree. The air was thick with the heaviness unique to dark ceremonies, interaction… Read More

All day long I feel humiliated and am overwhelmed by shame.Psalm 44:15 Like a flood that creeps in overnight, flowing under doors and rising over baseboards, shame has come into our hearts and homes, invading the privacy of our most personal dwelling places. The introduction of smartphones and social media has brought convenience and benefit to our lives. We can now take passport photos on our phones and get them the same day at the local print shop. We can pass 'n play Scrabble with our kids while we wait in line at restaurants and track our Fantasy Football team minute by minute. But smartphones and social media have also made us extremely vulnerable. All this social networking and information at our fingertips has allowed… Read More

What wall are you facing today? For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. Psalm 18:28-29 I have found comfort in this promise in some of the hardest places on earth. Facing life's challenges can seem like looking up at an immovable wall. Islam is certainly a wall, as anyone who has lived and worked as a follower of Jesus in its midst well knows. Sitting face to face with a witch-doctor on the hard dirt of an African village while the people watch to see whose God is stronger surely seems like facing a wall. But by my… Read More

@audreycfrank Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30, NIV “I want to be an astronaut, but I still want to be a doctor, too,” she said, her beautiful brow crinkled in consternation. “Well, astronauts need doctors to care for them,” I suggested. “I know. But I’m not worrying about it. I’ve put that stress on Jesus. “Is that okay? To give Jesus my stress?” “Yes, my sweet girl. Absolutely yes.” With a sigh, she gazed out the window into… Read More