Getting a Grip When it all hurts Part 3 040314

Getting a Grip  When it all hurts Part 3

1 Peter 5:6-11 ESV
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. [8] Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. [10] And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. [11] To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Ver 7 - enough said. LOL

What can I say that this passage does not say?

The hard part is doing it.  You see this is not like bouncing a ball off a wall where you cast it and it comes back.  It's not like fishing where you cast your lure and reel it back in.  This is like pasta.  You cast it and it sticks to the wall!

He wants us to cast our anxieties - those emotions, feelings, senses - whatever you want to call them, on Him.

This ties into humility because we cast our anxieties on Him (and that which produces anxiety) because we realize that we can't fix it.  That is the humility component -!  It is NOT giving up.  It is NOT sitting in the corner rocking back and forth.  It is not an, "Oh to Hxxx with it."  It is not an, "I quit."  It is a beseeching of Him to take from us those emotions (?) which we call anxiety and to give us a peace based solidly upon -- wait for it ---  the FACT that He cares for us.

It is NOT a, "Let go and let God," giving up in the circumstances.  It is a calling upon Him to join Himself more deeply to our hearts and minds so that we have a sense of peace and comfort even in the midst of anxiety producing circumstances.

Now remember - we are weak and the flesh is irritatingly strong so we sill do the fishing thing.  We'll cast our lure our there for a while (cast our anxieties on Him) and then after a period of no nibbles (the circumstances continue) we'll reel that anxiety right back in.  The we'll cast it out again and again and again.  Folks, I think He wants us to fish with a float and not do all that casting.  He wants us to cast out our line and let it sit - watching the float closely for the nibble.

Anxiety is a terrible debilitating thing.  For some of us it is deadly.  But we do have recourse to Him.  We can cast it upon Him and leave it there - let Him deal with it.

Now there is the anxiety and the circumstances that cause the anxiety and we need to cast both upon Him.  We don't let go of what we can and should be doing but we ask Him to take the stress and pain and anxiety upon Himself - to lift it from our hearts and minds, to protect us from all the imaginings that create the anxiety.

Now I need to briefly address my brothers and sisters who suffer from what is called anxiety disorders.  That simply means that your anxiety - which is probably based on something legitimate - is disorderly - out of proportion - out of control.  Many of you have medication to help you deal with it and count that a mercy and a blessing.  BUT don't count it as the cure or answer!  It is neither.  It is a blessing that should be used and appreciated and respected.  It should be used as needed and when and how you need it is something you have to take responsibility in and for.

There are many ways of dealing with anxiety besides medication and I'll tell you, if you're not using them along with your meds - you're being silly and not smart.  There are relaxations techniques, long walks, talking to yourself, prayer, reading scripture --- all these and more are great aids to dealing with anxiety.  Use them as you use your medications - silly.  The pill is NOT magic.  We all KNOW that it simply calms the anxiety for a while.  Making use of ALL stress and axiety relievers is critical.  They are all asnwers to the problem!  Use as many as you can and see if you can't slowly and gently reduce the frequency and number of meds you need to use.  BUT DO NOT just quit them for some strange and convoluted pseudo-biblical reason - they - their use - is not sin.  PS:  I KNOW what I'm talking about.

Ok - so much for that.

Jesus wants us to bring to Him all that we need and all that distresses us and He wants us to trust Him with it.  Sure, our flesh will want to play tug-or-war with our anxieties and that's OK - we just need to push them back on Him.  Prayer-The World and the Body of Christ are the keys to helping us accomplish this.  

Psalm 30:6-7

Psalm 30:6-7 ESV
As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved." [7] By your favor, O LORD, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed.

Oh my, how many of us can say "Amen," to this?

I take special not of the words, "my mountain."  

I have to admit it's convicting because it never was, "my mountain," it was His.

But isn't that common to our struggle?  When things are going well we get a little tunnel vision.  We see us and ours and my and mine and we do not look to Him as constantly as we need to.  We get a little cocky about things and our duties to and for Him slip on our priority list.

Of course the opposite is true as well.  When He hides His face (or seems to) we run the danger of curling into a little ball in the corner and doing nothing in terms of our duties to and for Him.  

Perhaps this is why we need to be a little more tough on ourselves when it comes to our duties.  I'm no proposing some legalistic, rigid, heartless process but rather a commitment to pray and study, etc. daily and intentionally.  

We eat, we go to the bathroom, we go to work, we pet the dog - we do so many things regularly.  Perhaps we need to begin to view (and pray for help to) our "duties" as not quite so lofty and unreachable.  Maybe we need to see these duties as simply the common and simple things believers do.  Which, I am coming to believe they are.

Though we have a special privilege in these things they are not unusual to the believer - or shouldn't be.  

Recently I spoke with some friends and we all were "feeling" kind of numb in our walks.  The temptations was to do something "special" for Him.  But we realized that He is the  one who does the special things - we are simply called to do simple things.  Pray, study. worship, give, encourage, comfort ---- simple things.

If, and he has, God has put His Spirit in us to reside forever then we have all we need in terms of right and ability to engage these duties.  Regardless of our "feeling" when engaging in them we should be about them.  It's hard when we don't "feel" like doing them or they don't make us "feel" better but that in no way decreases the value of them.

Father, it is so easy for us to be tempted to try to bargain with You.  It is so easy to wonder what we need to do to get on Your "good side."  We know this is a deception, a trick Satan wants us to fall for and we really need Your help to fight it.

We struggle with Your assurance of our salvation and our needs here.  Our needs here have a nasty habit of overwhelming us and keeping us from knowing the "joy of Your salvation."  We don't know what to "do" about this - so we ask You to do what needs to be done.  

Whether we need a change of heart or mind, we ask You to heal and help us to engage You in the ways You have provided - regardless of how we "feel."  You know our deepest need and indeed you know our true hunger.  Please keep us from being seduced by opportunity and despair into doing nothing.  Help us - make us - faithful in as much as we can be right where we are.

Amen.........