Cast all your anxiety on Him

Have you ever been anxious about something? I guess we all at some point in life get anxious about one thing or another. Food, clothing, shelter, love, money among many other things can drive one to be so anxious. Must we not care about our own needs? Yes we must! Should our cares drive us sick? No, they shouldn’t. Worrying about what we don’t have doesn’t really change the situation. Jesus asked His followers, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (‭‭Matthew 6:27). No! Worrying cuts short our lifespan and introduces unnecessary stress related illnesses that end up zapping all our energy and make us susceptible to medical problems.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (‭‭1 Peter 5:7)

God is aware of all of life’s needs and wants. He knows that these things can make you anxious and worried. Yet in several places in scripture, He reminds us not to worry about these things. Jesus in Matthew‬ ‭6:25‬ ‭tells us this: “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 than food, and the body more than clothes?” Being alive is worth more than all our worries. Afterall, the dead do not worry. So if you worry and stress about many things and as a result you die, you have lost everything including your very life. So if we do not have to worry and be anxious about life, what do we do? Peter says this, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (‭‭1 Peter 5:7). Peter’s solution is this, we should place all our worries, anxiety, cares, pains and brokenness on God. This is because God loves us so much and He cares about the things that worry us.

When we come to understand that none of our worries can fix us, it should make us more dependent on God for help. We should be intentional about what makes us worried and anxious. We should guard our minds and hearts in order not to entertain unnecessary stress. If you can’t get all that you need, go to the one who holds everything for help. If it is needed for you, He will surely make a way. If you don’t need it, He will give you peace and patience. God cares for you. Don’t be anxious!

Hannah’s prayer

If you have ever wanted something so bad and you know someone who can give that to you, the first reaction would be to go and plead with the person who has possession of it to give it to you. For example, in our study of Rachel, we realized that she so much needed a child that when Rueben brought mandrakes (known for fertility power), Rachel willingly allowed her sister Leah to have Jacob for the night in exchange for the fertility plant. People are willing to go the extra mile to get what they really want. If you do not know the pain of such people,  their actions might look “stupid” to you. Until you get to that position of need, you might not desire to go an extra mile. Our study of the wives of Elkanah revealed that Hannah was mocked by her rival Peninnah because Hannah was childless. If there was one thing Hannah desired and would go the extra mile for, it was to have a child. Hannah was bruised emotionally and no amount of love from Elkanah could replace the pain she felt.

In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” (1 Samuel 1:10‭-‬11)

Such deep anguish might have reflected on her demeanor. In 1 Samuel 1:8, we noticed that even her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” Elkanah truly loved Hannah and cared for her but what Hannah really needed was a child. Her rival kept provoking her until Hannah wept uncontrollably. “In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” (1 Samuel 1:10‭-‬11). 

All Hannah wanted was a child but in her anguish she prayed that if God gives her the son, she would return that son to the Lord. This kind of vow could only come from a woman with a bigger need. Hannah’s heart was not just to get the son and use him to reply to her rival’s taunts. Hannah’s request was to have a son who will be dedicated to God. She identified her need for a child and she was also aware that the word of God was rare during those times. If she gets a son, then that son could be God’s instrument to communicate to the people. In other words,  Hannah is satisfied and the work of God is done. Hannah might have discerned that if God’s work needs to be done, then God should give her a son to do that work. This son will satisfy Hannah’s heart desire and also accomplish the work of God.

Hannah’s prayer was so intense that the priest mistook her for a drunk woman. “As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.” (1 Samuel 1:12‭-‬14). Hannah’s response to Eli the priest was this: “Not so, my Lord, I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.” (1 Samuel 1:15‭-‬16). Upon hearing this, Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” (1 Samuel 1:17). Hannah  said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.” (1 Samuel 1:18).

After pouring her heart to the Lord, Hannah’s demeanor changed. She found something to eat and her face bloomed. Hannah knew that God had heard her heartfelt prayer. As we go through Hannah’s life, one thing stands out. She knew that only God could satisfy her need for a child. Unlike the women before her who looked for alternatives, Hannah went to the Lord in prayer. She did not complain about her situation and how that has affected her life. She told God that I need a son and You need a prophet, therefore give me a son who will be Your prophet. Hannah committed to ensure that the son is dedicated to the Lord. God looked at her, this was a different woman. She knew the right buttons to touch to get God to move in her favour. She was not selfish but ready to give the only son back to God. 

Whenever we pray for our greatest need, we should consider how the answer to our prayer would fit in God’s bigger story. How would my prayer request advance the kingdom of heaven? Would the answer to my prayer fulfill a kingdom need? What commitment am I ready to make to ensure that the answer to my prayer becomes an answer to the nations? 

Hannah needed a son, God needed a dedicated servant. They all had needs. Hannah’s approach to this was; “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

Hannah and Peninnah: Wives of Elkanah

Polygamous homes are not new. As early as Genesis 4, Lamech had two wives, Ada and Zillah. Managing polygamous homes requires a lot of dedication and commitment. Many believers including myself have this belief in “one man, one wife.” God’s original intent for marriage was not based on polygamy. God began a monogamous marriage in Genesis. In Genesis 2:22-25,
“Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” 
Adam was given Eve alone. God knew what was best for humanity. If being married to one person is work, imagine having multiple spouses. Paul’s advice to his protégé Timothy was to admonish the elders of the church to he husbands of one wife ( 1 Timothy 3:2). 

He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. (1 Samuel 1:2)

Elkanah was a polygamous husband. His story predates the era of kings in Israel. “He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none” (1 Samuel 1:2). Today’s post will focus on Hannah and Peninnah. This is how scripture introduces the two wives, “Peninnah had children but Hannah had none.” By this quote, the stage is set for what would happen in the future. If you have followed earlier posts, you would know that the lack of children would likely cause problems. Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel experienced this as well, and each of them had different approaches to resolve it. Unfortunately for Hannah, “her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat” (1 Samuel 1:7). Elkanah loved Hannah and whenever they went to the house of the Lord to offer sacrifices, he would give Hannah a double portion of the meat. “Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her” (1 Samuel 1:6).

Hannah must have been very sad and worried about her situation. Scripture records that year after year, Peninnah would provoke Hannah whenever they went to the house of the Lord and Hannah would weep and refuse to eat. If there was any place where rivals could misbehave, definitely, not the house of God. Peninnah chose the wrong location to taunt Hannah. Shiloh was a place of worship. Elkanah and the family committed to this yearly routine to be able to offer their sacrifices to the Lord. But to Hannah, it was a yearly opening of her scars. Peninnah intentionally used the visit to Shiloh to mock Hannah. Such a sad experience. 

Whenever people go through tough moments in life, the House of God should be a place for comfort, rest, peace and rejuvenation. As soon as our actions make people feel uncomfortable to come to church, we have become Peninnahs of our days. Not every joke is light, not every comment is harmless, not every look is peaceful. People give meaning to everything, therefore be mindful of what you say and do. You might leave people more broken than there were. Peninnah’s taunts broke Hannah into pieces. The already sad woman was shattered in the house of God. The same God who blessed Peninnah with the babies became a snare to Hannah because in His house, Hannah was mocked and ridiculed. 

Our words and actions are powerful. Be intentional to build people. If you don’t know what to say, then don’t say anything. Just pray for people. Talk to God about their needs. Be mindful not to cause already broken believers to be shattered by your words and actions. 

Naomi or Mara: From pleasant to bitter

Have you ever encountered people who moved from grace to grass? What was your reaction towards them? The experience of having it all and suddenly losing everything is not pleasant. There are many things that cause people to lose all that they possess. Mismanagement is one reason that leads to loss. For others, a series of misfortunes causes them to lose what they have. The prodigal son (Luke 15) lost all his possessions because he squandered everything in a bad lifestyle. On the other hand, Job (Job 1-2) was afflicted by the devil.

Naomi’s predicament of losing all that she has made her consider returning to Bethlehem. Together with Ruth, the wife of Mahlon, the two ladies made the journey to Bethlehem.  “So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” (Ruth 1:19). Naomi’s first discomfort would be to see the whole town stirred by her presence.  She would have obviously expected some reaction but she wouldn’t have expected the whole town to be stirred. Possibly, the physical state of Naomi then made the people talk about her. 

“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. (Ruth 1:20)

Instead of turning and responding, “Yes, this is Naomi”, she took a different approach. Naomi considered the meaning of her name and her current state. Naomi means PLEASANT but her current state was unpleasant. She chose to be called BITTER  rather than pleasant and told the people this: “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” (Ruth 1:20‭-‬21). Certainly, Naomi’s pain would have been difficult to bear. For her to refuse to be associated with PLEASANTNESS but accept BITTERNESS as her new identity stems from physical and emotional pain.

Just like Naomi, some people experience a circle of unfortunate events that drains them of every bit of pleasantness in their lives. When you suddenly lose all that you have either by your own mistake or accidentally, the first reaction is to focus on the pain. There have been instances where believers, including myself have petitioned God about certain incidents in our lives. The usual reaction is “God, why me?” The truth is most of the painful experiences we go through can be best understood in eternity. For now, we can only hope in the Lord for His comfort. 

Naomi and Ruth experienced the pain of losing their loved ones. The experience of losing a loved one can be very painful. Naomi’s relocation to Moab was for sustenance and preservation; instead, she experienced a total loss. Thus, bitterness was a clear definition for her state. But, all hope was not lost for Naomi and Ruth. Naomi did not wear the garments of bitterness for long. Through the grace of God, Naomi’s story changed. God suddenly turned things around for the good of Naomi. Naomi’s blessings were indeed PLEASANT. 

Pain, loss, grief and illnesses have become part of our fallen world. Constantly, we are riddled with life-changing events. But the Lord does not leave us in the star of bitterness, when we cry up to Him, He restores our pleasantness. Jesus’ arrival was God’s bigger plan to rescue humanity from the clutches of pain and ultimately offer salvation to all men. Since we live in a fallen world (Genesis 3), we might have to daily battle with pain but God has already won the victory. We should therefore approach this battle with a victory mentality. We are called PLEASANT irrespective of what we go through. Jesus crushed BITTERNESS on the cross. 

With this understanding, we can look at unfortunate events with the mind of God. The Lord will bring to an end all Bitterness of our lives and He will make an end of it. “Affliction will not rise up a second time.” (Nahum 1:9b NKJV). 

In Luke 4:14-30, Jesus reads the words of Isaiah 61 and proclaimed that scripture has been fulfilled.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” ?Isaiah 61:1‭-‬3 NKJV)

Through Jesus, God defeated sin and pain and gave us victory. We are no more slaves of sin but children of God.  

Rachel and Leah: Bilhah and Zilpah joined the family drama

As a woman, I understand that we are very delicate and any home that considers the desires of the wife will thrive. In other words, when the wife is happy and satisfied, the home runs smoothly. However, as humans, we do not really need all that we want. Therefore a really happy wife means a lot of excesses that possibly the man doesn’t need will have to be accommodated. It is important for a woman to sieve her desires and cravings because not everything we wish to have are really necessary. If handling one wife comes with handling lots of excesses, imagine a polygamous home where the husband is committed to making all his wives happy and content. Rachel and Leah both had their issues and both felt the need to be satisfied accordingly. Jacob, the man at the center of all this drama had to deal with each wife and their requests. As the story of Rachel and Leah progressed,  we have seen that Rachel’s deepest longing is to have a child and Leah’s desire is to be loved by her husband. How can Jacob satisfy both? Let’s go back to the Bible and continue from there.

Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.” When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. (Genesis 30:3‭, ‬9)

Rachel was desperate to have a child and like Sarah, her grandmother-in-law, she decided to give her servant to her husband. Rachel said to Jacob, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.” So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, and she became pregnant and bore him a son. Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan. Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So she named him Naphtali.” (Genesis 30:3‭-‬8). This did not go well with Leah. “When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” So she named him Gad. Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.” (Genesis 30:9‭-‬13). Jacob looks like the victim here, he was manipulated by his own wives to take on more wives and have more children. 

The drama in the house of Jacob was now intense. Rachel’s camp had two children and Leah’s camp had six children. Jacob was the man in the middle of this “baby-making business”. How was he managing his work life, family life and emotional state? Family feud of any kind is not good and it ends up draining all parties, causing disunity and grudge. The whole drama began with deception and favouritism that escalated to something else. When the Bible warns us against lies and favouritism, it is for our own good. Besides the right relationship we have with God when we eschew evil, we also have peace and tranquility in our lives when we live right. Each person has a role in the home to ensure peace and development. Envy, favouritism, hatred and bitterness are a good recipe for a “troubled home”. Imagine the heat and the tension when each one is against the other and each one in a competition with another in the same family. The children of such discombobulated homes carry the same mindset of their parents. How can the peace of God reign in such an atmosphere? One husband, four women… Jacob must have been a very busy man.

Imperfect people need a perfect God as their Saviour and that is why we all need God because we are not perfect. I pray that any home going through difficult times encounters the presence of God. Remember, only God can satisfy our deepest longings and desires. No person can give us what will permanently make us satisfied. Instead of worrying and nagging people for what we don’t have, we should work with what we have, and ask God for His provision for what we need. May the peace of God be with us all. 

Sarah’s request: “Get rid of that slave woman and her son.”

Baby Isaac might have been a delight to all and sundry. The boy with the old mother was taken care of and even enjoyed the breastmilk of his mother. Nursing Isaac will have been moments of joy and satisfaction for Sarah. Her miracle baby has changed her life for good. Sarah’s testimony might have been heard by as many as possible and the woman who was not able to conceive became a mother. Indeed, God’s faithfulness is mind-blowing. Genesis 21:8-9 records that “the child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking.” Isaac’s weaning day feast might have been a big celebration. Everyone would have been laughing and dancing and rejoicing in God’s goodness. In the midst of this jamboree, Sarah was watching and she saw what probably Abraham and the other guests might have missed. Sarah saw Ishmael mocking and this did not go down well with Sarah.

and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” (Genesis 21:10)

When everyone else was celebrating, Sarah was not happy. Her plan to facilitate God’s plan has now become her greatest fear. She couldn’t stand the mockery of Ishmael “and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac” (Genesis 21:10). What was Hagar’s crime? Why is Sarah so poised about inheritance now? Is Ishmael not legitimately qualified for the inheritance of his father’s estate? Did Abraham and the rest of the guests miss the bigger picture? “The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son” (Genesis 21:11). Within that period Abraham had grown to love Ishmael, and as a father, he couldn’t just drive his own son away. “But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.” (Genesis 21:12‭-‬13).

Abraham had to do the needful, and “early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba” (Genesis 21:14). It might have been a very difficult decision for Abraham but Sarah’s request was urgent. The same Sarah who requested for Abraham to take Hagar and have a child through Hagar, was now displeased by the presence of her own handiwork. What we do while we wait for our promise, is very important. Ishmael and Hagar had to suffer from Sarah’s quick decision to have a child. Sarah’s request was fulfilled and Ishmael and Hagar were driven away. One lesson we should learn from this story is the fact that whatever decision we made has lasting consequences. Sarah might have driven Ishmael away but the seed of hatred and wickedness escalated to something else.  Years later, the biological and adopted descendents of Sarah and Abraham still face the venom of wrath from the seed of anger and vengeance. 

Before you make any life-changing decision,  consider the immediate and long-term impacts on you and the people who will come after you. Ishmael is Isaac’s brother, but the two have been at loggerheads for a long time. Before the birth of Ishmael, the angel of the Lord told Hagar that Ishmael “will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” (Genesis 16:12).
Until Jesus returns the second time, we might continue to experience the consequences of Sarah’s request. What can we do to ensure peace? “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” (Romans 12:17‭-‬19)

Do not worry, look at the birds

“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27)
If worrying can prolong lifespans, humans would live for a very long time. Unfortunately, worrying excessively about everything can cause an early death. Worrying comes from fear of lack, fear of not being able to fulfill all your dreams, fear of missing out etc. In fact, fear is the mastermind of worry. If we replace fear with faith, we shall worry less. We live in unusual times and the average person is constantly exposed to news that causes one to be worried about something. After the world went on a relapse for almost 2 years because of the global pandemic, most of us expected life to be normal but it is not. Maybe the new normal is to navigate through life with all the things happening around us. As believers, these things should not be ‘new news’ because Jesus warned us to expect them (Matthew 24:3-31).

Life can be full of uncertainties but with God on our side, we can navigate through. Jesus’ sermon on the Mountain presents diverse issues of life. Jesus told the people that they should not worry. The message on “Do not worry is presented in Matthew 6: 25-31:

“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 than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour 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—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’”

Jesus used two creatures to teach why we shouldn’t worry; birds and flowers. According to Jesus, birds do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet God feeds them. Flowers do not labour or spin and yet they are more beautifully clothed than the rich king Solomon. If our heavenly Father cares for birds and plants, will He not care for us? It is good to make plans for food, water and raiment but if all hope is lost, we should know that our Father in heaven will provide. God provides through people, organizations, charities, churches etc. Instead of worrying, Jesus admonishes us to do the following:
“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.” (Matthew 6:33‭-‬34).

All ‘these things’ refer to those things/desires/needs etc. that cause us to worry in life. Instead of worrying about everything, let’s seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness and trust God to bring the provision. I pray that God opens uncommon doors for us and turns our worries into celebrations. There is nothing too hard for the Lord. 

Be still, He is working!

There are times that we feel like, ‘God should know better’. Sometimes we expect God to act in a particular way, we expect Him to come into our situation with the speed of thunder. As the disciples asked Jesus in their frustration, we tend to also ask a similar question when life seems to be drowning us: “Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38). In response to the disciples’ frustration, “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm” (Mark 4:39). The answer to the waging storm was stillness. Jesus did not mince words, He went straight to rebuke the storm and then “He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40)

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalms 46:10)

The answer to life’s raging storms is stillness. But how can we be still in the midst of storms? Our bodies are wired to respond to our environment. Every event sends signals to the brain and the whole body reacts accordingly. Happiness, joy, sadness, fear, frustration, anger, worry, depression etc. stem from the signals we receive from our environment and send to our brains. Whatever you feed your brain with, your situation will react to it. Thus, if all the stimuli trigger fear, worry and pain, you are bound to live in a perpetual state of anxiety. Jesus doesn’t want us to be unaware of our environment but He wants our response to the stimuli to be different.  The Psalmist discovered this, he came to understand that in the midst of life’s challenges, he needs to be in God’s stilled course. God says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalms 46:10). Yes, we have to be still!

Stillness in the presence of God doesn’t mean doing nothing. It is about trusting in God, putting your faith in God and learning to obey God even in the most unlikely situation. Sleeping all day and night does not bring stillness. In fact, we need to be intentional about building up our most holy faith. We need to study what God’s word says about the situations we go through. We need to meditate on His word in our stillness. We need to create an atmosphere of prayer and praise. Even when we are terrified, we should understand that the voice of the Lord is obeyed by even the winds and the waves, therefore our situations should not be difficult for the Lord. While we wait, we should know that God’s response could be “Yes, No or Wait” and each response is based on the long term effect of our request. Like many of us, my desire has always been to get a “Yes” from God. But, sometimes the best answers are “No” and “Wait”. Be still in the Lord. He is working for your good. 

Do not be anxious

Our mental well-being is very important and we should consider different ways to ensure that we do not do things that trigger mental stress and illness. As believers, we have the word of God as the standard of our lives and whatever we do must be considered in the light of God’s words. One common mental condition that affects us on a daily basis is anxiety. The “feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome” can cause one to lose sight of the very things that matter most. We all have needs and wants that cause us to be anxious about life. Even the richest people in the world have their needs and wants. Worrying about something does not change the outcome. So what should we do to overcome anxiety?

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

First, it is important to know that being anxious about everything is not God’s will for you. Scripture reminds as in Philippians 4:6a that, “Do not be anxious about anything.” Personally, I don’t remember changing anything in my life due to anxiety. In fact, anxiety causes me to lose focus and I achieve less because I tend to focus on what cannot be achieved as compared to what can be done. Anxiety causes me to be nervous and this is naturally followed by clumsiness. Something that could possibly have been done without errors becomes impossible to do because of nervousness. The Bible’s solution to anxiety is this: “in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6b). By presenting our situation to God, we tell Him to take charge.

Being anxious can affect our mental well-being and our relationship with God. There are so many things we cannot do on our own and there are situations we can only resolve by divine interventions. Sometimes we also need to open up to people with the skills and expertise to assist us. God has placed everyone in our lives for a purpose and we should take advantage of the skills of others when we need them. Most importantly,  pray and present to God whatever is causing you to be anxious. On some days, be intentional to present your thanksgiving even in the midst of your challenges and see God coming through for you. God uses humans most times to meet our needs, so be mindful of people God brings your way at your lowest point. They could be your helpers. Jesus admonishes us as follows: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). Do not be anxious about anything, commit your ways to the Lord and He will send you help in times of need.