Read Psalm 100
Psalm 100 calls us to make a joyful noise to God, to sing to him, to give thanks to him, to praise him, and to bless his name. As I read over this text to prepare this devotion, I loved the sound of it and felt encouraged to obey that call today. I thought: “Yes! I can rejoice in him (verse 1), simply because he is God (verse 3), he is good (verse 5), I belong to him (verse 3), he is my Good Shepherd constantly leading me and authoring my story (verse 3), and I am a beneficiary of his eternal love and faithfulness (verse 5).” But I know myself and I know it is easier for me to respond that way in this very moment than it will be this afternoon, or tomorrow morning, or even in a few minutes when that low-level anxiety over you-name-it will creep in.
I’ve struggled with anxiety and fear for quite some time now, but not until the past few years did it seem to become a daily thing for me. Life continued to unfold in ways I didn’t expect and it dawned on me how little control I actually have over my life. But the less control I felt I had, the more I grasped to try to hang onto that control. To be honest, my life is characterized by way more anxiety than any believer should ever carry around given my confessions of who God is and his deep love and care for me as his child. My bent every day is to look at the size of the situation in front of me and to evaluate what I can or cannot do about it myself. It is no wonder then that I am often anxious, because in doing this I totally leave God out of the equation. I disregard that he is God (verse 3), he is good (verse 5), that I belong to him (verse 3), that he is my Good Shepherd constantly leading me and authoring my story (verse 3), and that I am a beneficiary of his eternal love and faithfulness (verse 5). I believe the lie that if I can do my part to control my life and figure out how everything is going to work out the way I want it to, maybe then I will finally have rest and peace.
Even as I actively fight my anxiety, it remains a regular struggle. But as I keep in step with the Spirit moment-by-moment (far from perfectly), God does give me rest and peace when I go to him. Over time, here is what I’ve come to learn and one of the only concepts that has been truly helpful for me: only fear has the power to defeat fear. (I can’t take credit for that one, but it’s a helpful phrase nonetheless!) Only when I walk in a healthy fear and awe of God can I be freed from the daily fears and anxieties that entangle me. The truth is: life is too much for me to handle on my own. Many situations meet me that are beyond my strength and wisdom and ability. And only when I am moved to awe and fear of God by reminding myself that he is God (verse 3), he is good (verse 5), that I belong to him (verse 3), that he is my Good Shepherd constantly leading me and authoring my story (verse 3), and that I am a beneficiary of his eternal love and faithfulness (verse 5)—can I experience the rest and peace I so long for and that he so longs to give me.
-- Leslie Friday