"Know my anxious thoughts!"

The Psalmist, David the King, was no stranger to anxiety, as we are in the 21^st century! He is asking God to search and see if there are any anxious thoughts in his mind and help him. The passage, Psalm 139:23-24, goes like this:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.”

What is this anxiety? Oxford Dictionary describes it as ‘the state of feeling nervous or worried that something bad is going to happen.’ It is something about which we are anxious even before it happens. The premonitions like, ‘I am sure I will fail in the interview and not get the job.’ Or, ‘I am going to go blank at the examination hall and flunk the exam.’ Or, ‘today it started bad, I am sure I will get into some accident as I drive my car.’ And on and on it goes, with no rhyme or reason. A lot of negative thoughts, self-proclaimed prophecies, keep flooding the mind, many of which come true, mainly because we think so. A pessimistic attitude to life, may be a result of put downs during early childhood by a parent, brings about such negative thoughts to mind. Fear of doom or something worse to happen surfaces during such times of anxiety.

Worry is a close cousin of anxiety, which again is defined as to keep thinking about unpleasant things that might happen or about problems that one has. It could be an anxiety to get into a good college after schooling, or marriage of a son or a daughter to be solemnized, or to get a job or old age or any one of life’s problems, which confront us in the various stages of our life.

Where does the anxious thought originate? Why does it do so?  Medical science has discovered the seat of all our emotions and passions, including fear and anxiety, in a small part of the brain called amygdala. ‘It is an almond-shaped cluster of interconnected structures perched above the brain-stem, near the bottom of the limbic ring,’ one on each side of the brain, writes Dr. Daniel Goleman, in his book “Emotional Intelligence.” It functions like an alarm system, reacting to emergent situations, impulsively enabling the body to decide to either stand and fight or take to flight. When our hunter-gatherer forefathers roamed the forests in search of prey, they had to remain alert and such ‘flight or fight’ situations would come and split second decisions had to be made. Amygdala decided that action and it is also the place, where our instinctive and impulsive thoughts arise. It almost sounds like children’s standard phrase, ‘trick or treat,’ during Halloween, who is then treated to some chocolates by the friendly neighbors!

Worry or anxiety is a warning system build into our emotional make up and is good, when it is within the limit. It becomes unhealthy only when it becomes chronic and takes over all the other functions of the body. Then it leads to too much of anxiety, stress, leading to depression, where a person feels very sad, anxious, without any hope and sinks into the morass of helplessness.

How do we get over such chronic anxiety and worry? First, as the Psalmist prays, we need to examine our hearts and thoughts. Where our thoughts are fixed and what are our hearts’ desires? As it is difficult for us to examine and find out our own wrong desires and wrong motives, it is better, like the Psalmist, we ask the Lord God to examine our thoughts and bring to our notice any unwanted thoughts rising up in our minds, which will be detrimental to our well being.

Thoughts that could give rise to anxiety are pursuit of happiness as the single one goal of life; lust for money - to make money by any and every means; slothfulness and indulgences, making self-disciplined life a difficulty and may be even setting impossible goals to achieve. We need to analyze our thoughts and motives and goals to see if they are reasonable and manageable and worthy of leading peaceful life.

Secondly, sit down and write down what exactly is causing the anxiety or worry. In case of a job interview, there is anxiety that one should do well and get the job. So set to work on it instead of worrying about it. Learn more about the job, the requirements and be ready for any question on the issue. If communication is the problem, take a course and improve the skills. If sloppy appearance is the problem, go to a salon and groom yourself up. See what you can do about it all to make a success out of it. Be prepared, be alert, and be ready to face the task.

Thirdly, have faith in the Lord, your God. Jesus Christ, when he was on earth said a few beautiful truths about worry. In Matthew 6:25-34 he says thus,

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barn, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe  you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, “what shall we eat/” or ‘what shall we drink?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  

A few things become clear. Jesus is telling us that none of us can change anything by worrying. It will only affect our health. Secondly God our Father in heaven knows what we need and will provide for it, as long as our priorities are correct.  Instead of pursuing wealth and happiness and enjoyment, if we focus on seeking God and how He wants us to live in this world, everything else also, like food and clothing will be provided for. God knows we need these things and He will provide for us. Only those who do not know God run after money and mirth. We need to live on faith in God and His provision.

It doesn’t mean that we sit and expect God to pour everything onto our lap, but work for it and earn it in the right way, keeping our focus on God and godly living. Thirdly Jesus is telling us that lets deal with each day as it comes and not worry about tomorrow. Leave that in God’s hands, for He is able to take care of it. Deal with today, in the present, and not something unknown, the future. Future is safe in the hands of our Almighty God. He will give us the wisdom and capacity to deal with whatever comes tomorrow. We are to have that faith. 

Apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:7,

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

Yes, we have a caring and loving Father in heaven, who will not want His children to suffer without reason. It is a great solace to know that He cares for us.

Apostle Paul states while writing to the church in Philippi, in Philippians 4:6-7,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

All that we need is to hand all our problems and anxious thoughts over to God, in prayer and petition. I usually write it down in my prayer journal. It helps! Of course you are to do that with a thankful heart. Let us be thankful for what we have got, what God has blessed us with and then in recognition of God’s grace, let us bring our fresh petitions before him. The result is peace that passes all   understanding in our hearts. Again priority is to guard our hearts and minds, that is our desires and thoughts in Christ Jesus, seeking His kingdom and His righteousness in our lives.

Finally I just want to bring to remembrance, what the disciple Peter did, wanting to walk on water like Jesus, who walked on waters of Sea of Galilee and came towards them, who were in the boat. He started well, climbed out of the boat to walk on water, but soon noticed the boisterous waves and started to sink. He cried to the Lord, who immediately stretched forth his hands and held him. When we focus on the situations around us, we sink, but the moment we focus our attention on the Lord, we rise above our situations like an eagle that soars above the clouds.

God help us to rise above our situations and soar high in our lives, with a thankful heart and carefree soul.