This past week I experienced some difficult complications from the cancer I’m battling. They came on suddenly, no warning, seemingly out of nowhere. They were traumatic. I've had them before, but it was still a shock when they hit my body. Usually they are months apart. This time I had 2 rounds of them just 3 days apart. I was still trying to recover from the first round when the 2nd round hit.
All this has left me feeling anxious. I don't know when I'll be "hit" again. I've dealt with anxiety before in the last hard years, but this is anxiety at a new and deeper level. I'm having to learn how to press deeper into the Lord, to cling to Him each time I feel anxious.
I've learned through the years that I will deal with something, learn from it and how to cope with it. I then feel like I've "conquered" the lesson.....but it will come up again. It's not that I've failed or haven't learned the lesson - it's just the Lord allowing me to learn it at a much deeper level. I think that's what is happening now. Fear, worry, and anxiety are not from the Lord! Already I'm learning not to give the anxiety a minute's hold on my heart and mind. I must take it immediately to the Lord to receive His peace and grace.
"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
"I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4
"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles." Psalm 34:17
"When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy." Psalm 94:19
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6,7
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7
"Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7
"Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6:34
These are a small sampling of dozens and dozens of verses about not being anxious. When anxiety crops up in my heart and mind - I proclaim and pray these verses. It helps me immediately. I'm so grateful I don't have to walk alone through the trials of life. The Lord has already provided promises and instruction for how to deal with them.
