Giving Our Anxieties to God

How does your life change when you really give your anxieties over to God? Bronlynn shares.

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken” (Psalm 55:22).

Anxiety is a well-known word in our culture. One source I read said that it is the most common mental illness in America, affecting at least 40 million adults. I am one of those 40 million.

Right now I’m anxious about the logistics of our upcoming retirement and move out of state. I’m concerned about health problems of friends and family that seem to be unending. I’m anxious about my continual migraines. These may seem to be legitimate concerns, but when I am anxious for any reason, I am not trusting God’s sovereignty in my life.

In her book, Calm My Anxious Heart, Linda Dillow described a great visual way of dealing with anxiety. She found a decorative box and called it her anxiety box. Whenever she was troubled by a situation, she wrote the problem down on a piece of paper and put it in this box. She then prayed about it, committing it to God.

Afterwards, whenever she found herself becoming anxious or worried about that problem, her box was a reminder that she had given that situation to the Lord and it was in His hands. Periodically she would re-read the papers inside the box, praising and thanking God for the situations He had resolved and recommitting the worrisome ones to Him.

What a great visual reminder to cast our burdens on the Lord, knowing He will carry us through whatever comes.

There was a popular marching song during both world wars that said, “Pack up your worries in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile.” I want to say, “Give God my worries in my anxiety box and pray, pray, pray”–and then smile and keep marching forward in faith!

Prayer: Lord God, I confess that many times I become anxious over circumstances in my life rather than trusting You for the outcomes. Thank You for the wonderful comfort and privilege of being able to give them to You, knowing that I do not need to be shaken because they are all under Your divine control. Amen.

About the author:
Bronlynn Spindler lives in VA and is blessed to have the support and encouragement of a wonderful husband and three grown daughters. God’s grace and strength have brought her through thyroid cancer and continue to sustain her through ongoing back pain, depression, headaches, multiple sensitivities, eye pain, and fibromyalgia. You may view her blog of devotionals at http://www.aplaceofsprings57.blogspot.com.

What circumstances in your life are causing you anxiety at the moment? Would you consider starting your own anxiety box as a visual reminder to give your concerns to God and trust Him to sustain you?

This is an acappella version of “I Need Thee O I Need Thee.” It is beautiful and I often have Sam Robson’s music playing when I work. He sings all the different parts and then puts them into one song/video. I hope it brings comfort to you today as you seek to give over all those anxieties to God one more time. We need Thee, O how we need Thee! -Lisa