When we face difficulties in life that feel overwhelming, our immediate response is to figure out a solution. What if there are situations we are going through that we don’t know how to solve? In some situations, we might even feel like it’s out of our control. In those times, it’s easy to get anxious, worried, and even frustrated with life and God.
When we start feeling anxious, the next thing that comes is fear. We start to fear about everything that can go wrong in the situation and ultimately start fearing about our future. The Bible clearly says that fear is not from God. According to 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (New International Version). The Bible also says ‘Do not Fear’ at least 365 times. God knew it was natural for us to fear the unknowns in our lives.
Another thing that usually happens when we are anxious is we start to overthink the situation, which leads to confusion. We then try to come up with short-term solutions, which brings more confusion because it is not from God. When we don’t consult with God and come up with our own solution, we are not only disobeying God, but that solution also will not give us peace. According to 1 Corinthians 14, “For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace” (New American Standard Bible). Knowing that God does not give us fear or confusion it can become a warning sign when we start to experience those feelings.
One of the things God is teaching me is to surrender to God when we go through situations we don’t have control. Surrendering that situation to God takes the burden off us. According to Matthew 11:28-30, “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.” Surrendering to God is not a one time thing and it needs to be done daily and sometimes it might have to be done hourly and maybe even every minute when we are tempted to get anxious or fearful about a stressful situation.
Another reason to give that situation to God is because He is a better problem solver and He is a better judge than anyone else. According to Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (New American Standard Bible). One of my counselor used to say sometimes when we feel overwhelmed and don’t even feel like praying we can just say the word ‘Jesus’ and I added one more word to that ‘Jesus please help’. He listens to all our prayers and it doesn’t have to be a perfect sentence. When we give our burdens to God, in return, He gives us peace despite our circumstances.
