The Greek word for anxiety is merimna. HELPS Word-studies describes it this way, a part separated from the whole; (figuratively) worry (anxiety), dividing and fracturing a person’s being into parts. Perhaps you’ve experienced the sensation of becoming emotionally disintegrated. There are times when the pressures of life make you feel like you are coming apart at the seams. What do you do?
My daughter gave birth to twins two weeks ago. Because they were premature, they had to stay in the NICU. Abigail was able to come home, but because she developed postpartum preeclampsia we ended up making two emergency trips to the hospital. The last time we went they did a CT scan to check and see if there was any bleeding in her brain. When I wasn’t with her in the hospital I was helping to take care of her two special needs little boys. The twins are home, my daughter is doing well, and the little boys are thrilled with their tiny baby sisters. However, there can still be opportunities to feel anxious.
When we exhaust our store of endurance we are invited to cast our cares on a God who cares about us. When our strength fails God invites us to enter into His rest. There is a name for this exchange. It is called humility. True humility happens when we are fully dependent on the Lord. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6,7).
When I feel like I'm falling apart I remind myself that I have an invitation to find refuge in the shelter of the Most High God. When I am overwhelmed I find my resting place in the shadow of the Almighty. When I finally stop trying to be in control I find peace for my soul. I cast my anxiety on Him and find that He has covered me with His feathers and that refuge is found under His wings. Fear cannot follow me into this place of humble trust.
The stresses of this life expose our frailty. How we respond to those stresses exposes what we believe. However, when we respond with humility and choose to fully trust God we find that He is worthy of our trust. “We may trust Him fully, all for us to do, They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.”
*Like A River Glorious
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