The Kingdom of God is advancing, and taking over new territory. It’s easy to forget that this includes your own heart. We should be praying for God’s kingdom to take over the unconquered areas of our hearts.
Anxiety shows us these unconquered areas. It shows us what we’re not trusting God for. Jesus tells us not to worry in Matthew 6, because worry is a lack of trust. Worry is a sin against our all-sufficient, all-powerful, all-loving, all-providing God! No wonder that Paul commands us “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).
In other words, don’t worry or be anxious; pray! You’re going to spend time thinking about things one way or another–better to pray than to simply turn it over in your mind!
Worry is functionally making myself my own god. Prayer is declaring my dependence on God. Worry and trying to fix it myself feels more immediate–at least I’m doing something. But ironically, my attempt to become my own god makes me more anxious, not less. Anxiety is a symptom of de-throning God in our lives. It’s a symptom of living as if we’re God, or god-like in a certain area. Anxiety is the fruit of believing “I CAN do it, I CAN handle it, I CAN manage things myself.” And then realizing we can’t!
Prayer allows us to re-enthrone God at the center of our hearts. In prayer, I am humbled and reminded of how dependent I am, but also comforted that I have a God who cares for me! Peter says “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
Here’s how we do that in prayer:
- Draw near to him! Spend time with him in his Word. You can’t reach him with your anxieties if you’re far away. As Pastor Darrin Patrick says, “The reason you don’t trust God with your future is because you’re not experiencing him in your present.” This is why Jesus can say, “Do not worry…your Heavenly Father knows what you need.” If we are near him, we will know his heart for us!
- Name and identify your fears & anxieties. Get specific. Pour them out in detail to God. Other people will tune you out; but he never tires or sleeps.
- Confess, with humility, your inability to handle, manage, defeat, conquer, or overcome these things.
- Confess, with humble joy, Christ’s sufficiency. Jesus and his death and resurrection are more than sufficient for all that you face. If God has proven faithful to you in your greatest need, how much more can we trust him with these little things?
- Cast It! Fling it! Lay it down! Give it to him! Surrender! Tell God that you are giving this to him. Pray something like “Father, I can’t carry this load, but you can. So I cast it on you! You’ll have to take it from here!”
- Repeat! Keep Doing It! This casting is not a one-time project, but ongoing. The bigger or harder your source of anxiety, the more frequently you’ll have to cast it on him. Daily, or even more often. Repeat as often as needed.