Nail-biters!

Yeah, I get anxious and I chew on my nails! Why exactly do so many people who are full of anxiety chew on the ends of their fingers? I do not have an answer for that question. There are plenty things in the world to worry about. The war in Iraq offers us an opportunity to worry about the possibility that our country has entered another endless conflict which will continue to claim American lives for the next decade, like the conflict in Vietnam did in the 60's and 70's. Then, there is terrorism. Will there be more subway bombs, crashing airliners, or dirty nukes brought to one of our major cities? Rising energy prices and the coming of winter can provoke real angst as there is the threat that this will disrupt the U.S. economy significantly. If you're more prone to fret about stuff closer to your home, you could stew over your health - wondering if the 'big one' will stop your heart, or if cancerous cells are presently plotting your demise. Worried, yet? Or should I keep going?

Most of think that worry is beyond our control. We blame our tendency to fret on our genes or the way our parents raised us. There is some truth in that. Some of us are much more prone to become anxious than others. And if you're raised in a home where the future, the unknown, or the untried is feared and where anxiety is in constant evidence, you are much more likely to live fearfully in this wide world. However, we need to know this - anxiety is voluntary, too. We can choose to worry or we can choose to live in the quiet confidence that our God reigns!

Worriers need to memorize this passage so that they can recite it the moment that they look for a finger nail to chew on! Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7, NLT)

"Don't worry about anything!" That, is what we call an imperative, meaning it is a command. God would not command us to do what is beyond our control or the impossible. He clues us in about the 'how-to' of that directive. So how do we stop worrying? "Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done!" Go ahead, try it. If you're a hard-core worrier, your mind will rebel against this simple prescription. It will tell you that you're being stupid, that you're avoiding reality, that you need to 'take charge.' Take it from a guy whose wrestled with each of those things and more. Make the choice- Trust and Thanks.

Jesus has an interesting description of the result of worry. In a story he told about seed the of the Gospel producing a harvest in our lives, He said that some "seed fell among thorns (weeds) that shot up and choked out the tender blades so that it produced no grain." (Mark 4:7, NLT) Then He explained His point. “The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it." (Mark 4:18-19, The Message) Isn't that interesting? We can miss out on the blessings of living in God's Kingdom, in the richness of His care for us, just by focusing on our problems instead of God's care. I can certainly understand why He used the word - choke- too. I've spent too many nights, laying on my bed in the darkness of the early morning hours allowing anxiety to wrap its grip around my chest until I thought I would die!

But I have learned that worry is a choice and now when I feel the icy fingers of stress, I break their stranglehold with Trust and Thanks.

Believer, are you fretting today?
Are your nails bloodied by your tearing at them in anxiousness?
Make a different choice - a choice that moves the focus from your inabilities to God's power and promises.
_________________________

All Your Promises-- Smith, Andrew-- Mercy / Vineyard Publishing

Oh all Your promises
Are "Yes" and "Amen" in Jesus.
Your promises are true.
All Your promises
Are "Yes" and "Amen" Lord Jesus,
We'll keep running after You.

O Lord our Lord,
How majestic is Your name.
Your words are true,
Your mercy does not change.
All Your promises are precious,
Reviving our faith.
Every one of them
Will be fulfilled one day.

We will run,
We'll run and not grow weary.
We will rise upon the eagle's wings.
In the presence of the Lord,
Our spirits will soar,
Till we one day gaze upon our King.

But my foot had almost slipped,
O Lord, I'd almost lost my way,
'Til I entered the house of the Lord
And heard Your sweet Spirit say,

Oh all Your promises
Are "Yes" and "Amen" in Jesus.
Your promises are true.
All Your promisesAre "Yes" and "Amen"
Lord Jesus,We'll keep running after You.

© 1995 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)
CCLI License No. 810055